Evil (Prodigal Son part II)

The problem of evil is very present in this world. On the news, there's been so many stories of school shootings, of international tension, of conflict within our government. We drive past doctors offices, hospitals, fire and polices stations. With the crazy weather we've had, there have been so many bashed up cars on the roads. Evil is scary and it's very real.

Many of us have asked why. Why does a Good who claims to be love allow people to be hurt and die? Why does this world such a mess? There are three reasons.

1: we live in a fallen world. When God created the world, He said it was not just good but very good and beautiful. That's how He intended it. But sin came and the world has since been cursed, corrupt. Human nature draws us towards evil. Yes, we were created in God's image but we are not gods. We are not perfect.

2: to get to a greater good and 3: to prevent greater evil. Number 2 is what I was getting to in my previous post, The Prodigal Son. If the younger son hadn't lived the life of sin and come home again, the father wouldn't really have been able to show how much he truly loved him or even to realize how much he loved him. As for 3, this one is somewhat more complicated. World War 2 was the deadliest conflict in human history but it had to happen to prevent the world from falling under Nazi tyranny, which would not have ended well.

Don't get me wrong, it still sucks. It sucks a whole lot. But what I'm trying to get at is that what you feel and what you go through isn't in vain. God is not a cruel God. He isn't pleased by our pain. That's why Jesus was sent, so that one day we could be free from it.
For now, I just challenge you to always trust that God knows what He's doing. The presence of evil is very real but we can overcome it. We are set free from it.