This morning we conclude our seven-week series of messages called "Seven Wonders." Each week we have looked at a question that people often wonder about. Is there a God? Why do I exist? Am I unique? Why do I feel so lonely? Why don't I do what I know I should? Is there life after death?

Today's question, I have a feeling, is asked more frequently than all the others combined. Why is life so unfair? The same question may be asked in many different forms. Why do bad experiences happen to me? Why would God allow so many bad things to happen? Why do bad things happen to good people?

There is a word in the dictionary which captures this dilemma. The word is theodicy. The word suggests the defense of God's omnipotence and love in spite of the prevalence of evil and suffering. In other words, the issue of pain and suffering in our world raises the following dilemma: either God is all powerful, but does not care; or God is all loving, but is not able to do anything about the pain and suffering in our world. Neither side of that dilemma represents the truth because God is both perfect in love and perfect in power. So how do we answer this question: Why is life so unfair?

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the Colossus of Rhodes. This gigantic bronze statue stood at the entrance to the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes. It served as a symbol of unity of the people who lived on this beautiful Grecian island.

When the colossus was finished, it stood about 110 feet high. From the time of its finished construction in 282 B.C., to its destruction, was a span of only 56 years. An earthquake compromised the statue at its weakest point, the knee, and it came crashing to the ground. It is said that one's arms could not wrap around the thumb of this enormous statute.

Destroyed because of an earthquake. I wonder how many on this island raised the question we're trying to answer today. Certainly, some wondered why God would allow such a thing to happen.

It was a much earlier time and a different location with different circumstances, but the man who serves as the main character in my message today raised the same questions. His name was Job. The book of Job in the Old Testament is 42 chapters long. But the storyline predominantly takes place in the very first chapter. The succeeding chapters develop the theme of human suffering and the role God plays.

Using Job 1 as the foundation for my message I want us to look at two focal questions. First, why is life so unfair? Second, and, in my opinion, more importantly, how should I live in spite of all my bad experiences?

Let's tackle the why question first. Read Job 1:1-5. Why do bad things happen to good people? Job was about as righteous of a person anywhere around. He was godly. He loved his family, took care of his children, and was well-respected in the community. He feared God, stayed away from questionable moral practices, and was a law-abiding citizen. God had blessed him materially. He was the kind of guy that had everything going for him. But that was about to change.

Let's see what happens next. Read Job 1:6-12. While Job was enjoying his good life with family and friends, God and Satan are working behind the scenes. Satan claims that the only reason Job is such a godly man is because he has everything in the world and nothing to complain about. “Take all the good life from him," the master enemy said, “and he will turn his back on God." So God gave permission to Satan to generate one tragedy after another in Job's life.

Let's read on to learn about all the bad stuff that happened. You and I cannot even begin to fathom such bad circumstances. Read Job 1: 13-19. In one day's time Job received four messages, each of which reported devastating news. Message 1: All your donkeys and oxen, your livelihood, have been stolen. On top of that the thieves attacked and killed all your servants.

Message 2: Fire from heaven fell and burned to the bones all your sheep and those who tended them. Message 3: Raiders came and took all your camels and killed all your servants. Can it get any worse? Message 4: Your ten children have all been killed. They were all at your oldest son's house when a strong desert wind caused the house to collapse on every side. They were all crushed to death.

Why? Why? Why? Sometimes that's the only words we can muster. AIDS pandemic in Rwanda. Why? Tsunami in southern Asia. Why? Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. Why? Even with these questions, for the most part, we're talking about disasters that might not affect your life personally. But I know each of you could bring it closer to home. Why do I have cancer? Why is my teenager so angry? Why won't my husband love me? Why do I have to take so much medicine? Why did tuition double while my kids were in college? Why did that driver have to run into the back of my car? And for a teenager, why did my zits show up on prom weekend?

Let me make two observations based on the Job passage. First of all, you need to understand that we live in a fallen world. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the earth changed its course. No longer was it a perfect paradise. Instead it became a place where sin resided, a place of hardship, and a place characterized by death and dying. Even though I try to enjoy life to the fullest with a grateful and positive outlook, I must understand that this earth is not the land of the living; it is the land of the dying. All around us there is disease, death, and sadness. The reason is that the earth is suffering from the after-effects of sin.

When you understand this truth, it changes your perspective about life, and things begin to make sense. You understand that bad things happen to good people. You understand what the Bible means when it says, “The rain pours on the just and the unjust." And it is helpful to remember that the Bible teaches that there is really no righteous person on the face of this earth. We are all sinners. We all can be classified in the same category as Hussein and Bin Laden. Even the precious baby born with a life threatening disease is a member of the same sinful human race. The one run over by the drunk driver is in the same sinful camp as the one who got drunk and drove carelessly.

Pick up your newspaper when you get home. Read about the Duke Lacrosse team, the steroids scandal, the police blotter, and the trial of a 9-11 terrorist, all evidences that we live in a fallen world. Read the ages of those listed on the obituary page. They range from newborns to centenarians. But their deaths remind us that we live in a sinful, fallen world that is dying.

The second observation I want to make is that God allows all bad things to happen. The Job story brings out this truth loud and clear. This doesn't mean that all of your bad circumstances resulted from a verbal challenge between God and Satan. However, these verses do remind us that there is a fierce battle of spiritual forces being waged every day. But God is in complete control.

No matter what life gives you, always remember that God has allowed it. Nothing has ever happened to you without God's permission. Satan is very powerful, but everything he does is carried out under the oversight of almighty God. So many of the “why" questions don't have straightforward answers because God's ways are far beyond our ability to understand fully. The Bible says, “How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34, NLT).

We need to be like U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow who came to her home in Chicago last February and found her mother and husband murdered. The killer was a man whom she had ruled against in court. She later told the Chicago Tribune, “As a sojourner on this Earth, I don't feel terribly entitled. I do believe the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. It's your responsibility to accept the adversity as well as you accept the abundance."

I don't know a better way to respond to the “why" question other than to say we live in a fallen world, and nothing happens that God does not allow. And if God allows it, then certainly He will help us through it.

But really the second question is the more important one. How should I respond when bad things happen? Job's response to his terrible crises helps answer this question for each of us. Read Job 1:20-22.

Our first response should be worship. Do what? After learning all the tragic news, Job tore his robe and shaved his head (signs of mourning) and notice what he did next. He fell to the ground in worship. He went straight to God with his grief. I mean he lost more in one day than most of us will lose in a lifetime. Yet through the years he had developed a heart that was bent toward worship. Whether it was good times or bad times, he worshipped.

I can tell you from personal experience that there have been times in my life when worship is what kept me from falling apart. Worship is not just praying. Worship is a response you give to God acknowledging that He is God and you are not. It is a response that expresses relentless love for Him even though your world might be falling apart. You need to know how you best connect with God. And when bad things happen, turn to those spiritual disciplines or activities that draw you closer to God.

Second, don't let bad circumstances make you bitter. I've said it many times—trials will make you either bitter or better. Don't let them embitter you. It's your choice. You choose your attitude. Job didn't let his loss of family or his loss of income change his perspective on life. He simply said, “I came into this world naked and I will exit this world naked also. Praise God."

Instead of bitterness, I see in Job a heart of gratitude and contentment. I see someone who did not necessarily understand why God would put him through this. But I see in him a heart that said, “God, I accept whatever you bring into my life. Give me the strength and grace to stay focused on you no matter what."

Behind every problem there is a purpose. If you have a bitter spirit because of your bad trials, you will never learn the lessons of life God wants you to learn. But when you have a heart of gratitude and contentment, you have put yourself in the position to learn valuable lessons about life. You will be stronger. You will be better equipped to serve. You will look back on your bad circumstances and see the hand of God at work.

Third, don't blame God for your bad circumstances. Notice verse 22 again. “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." I believe it's all right to tell God how you feel. He knows anyway, doesn't He? Job had a lot of unanswered questions. However, in his search for answers, he never accused God of doing Him wrong.

I want to remind you of a very important truth. God loves you no matter what. You may question His love, but do you know what? It doesn't change the level of His love for you. His love is perfect. So He cannot love you any more than He does now; nor can He love you any less than He does now.

Here's another thought. Even if you do accuse God of wrongdoing, do you know what? It doesn't change a thing. Accuse all you want to. But just remember, God is perfect. He does no wrong whatsoever. Never has and never will.

Just like Job, your good life might just change overnight. Before this day is out, things might start going south. Your faith may be strong now. But what if the bottom falls out? Will you still worship God? Will you be able to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord." Will you have a grateful heart? Will you blame God?

In closing, I want to remind you of something extremely important. This life is simply the proving ground that is preparing you for life in eternity. God has a wonderful plan to make right all the injustices you have experienced in this life. In His eternal kingdom there will be no more suffering and pain. You will experience life the way God really intended it to be. The Bible says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4). Life is brief and painful, but eternity in Heaven will never end. There are no bad experiences there.