Doesn't G-d Also Cause the Harm in the First Place?

Q. Why must we thank G-d for performing miracles to save us, such as curing us from sickness or saving us from attacks, when it was He Himself Who also brought the sickness or near-attack upon us in the first place?

A. The Prophet Yirmiyahu said: 'By the command of the Most High, neither good nor evil come' (Eichah 3,38). The Midrash explains that this means that ever since the day that G-d "set before you today life and good, etc." (Deut. 30,15), neither good nor evil comes from His command, but rather as a result of man's good or bad deeds.

G-d, for His part, would be happy to shower upon us only goodness. The problem is that we falter and commit sins, and this is what prevents us from receiving His infinite abundance. We take ourselves to places that G-d knows that if He were to give us goodness, it could harm and even destroy us. As such, it is we ourselves who cause suffering to come upon us.

We thank G-d for not despairing of us or giving up. He rather gives us chance after chance, keeping His eye on us even via the troubles we undergo. He measures out the exact amount of suffering that will cause us to return to ourselves and rise up, and thus be worthy of His salvation. What we are thanking G-d for is His constant supervision and providence.