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Sometimes we may go through hardships, and God may allow this to happen to us in order for us to learn the virtue of patience. Certain hardships we experience do not mean that God has forsaken us. Brother Eli, however, makes us know that not all hardships come from God.
He points us to a passage in the Bible, 2 Thessalonians 1:6.
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.
In verse 6, we see that there are some afflictions inflicted by men and not God. It's no news that we live in a wicked world, and there are people with the intentions of causing pain to their fellow human beings. But we are encouraged by Paul in this scripture of the justice of God upon such kinds of people.
We have this assurance in God that those who bring afflictions on us for no reason will be rewarded for their actions on the day of the Lord's return. So we should not be surprised when we encounter such kinds of people. These kinds of people have no single fear of God in them; that's why they do what they do.
We should always bear it in our minds that under no condition will God afflict us without a just cause. Perhaps what we may be going through could be as a result of our sins or transgressions. Or it could also be that He's trying to prepare us for something that could better our lives.
Other than that, as long as we are in accordance with His will and commandments, under no condition will God cause afflictions to come upon us for no reason. God is not wicked enough to let hardships befall us for no reason. We look at a passage in the Book of Lamentations 3:33, which says
For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
We shouldn't be too quick to blame God for afflictions that we experience in life. As long as you are in alignment with God's will, you are shielded from afflictions with no just cause. We may experience challenges, which are part of the things that come with life, but they are not permitted to remain permanent as long as we are reconciled with God.
We are to see God as a God of justice and not a God of injustice. God is not like our earthly judges or authorities. We can expect injustice from this set of people, but when it concerns God, we are rest assured that it is not in His nature.