God’s Relationship to Evil
God’s Relationship to Evil
God’s favorite planet has experienced a lot of evil over the years. Why hasn’t he stopped it or, at least, curbed it? It’s one thing for God to deliberately let something awful happen for reasons we may not understand, but it would be another for God to wish he could have prevented it but have one hand tied behind his back. Either God rules, or Satan sets our life’s agenda and God is limited to only reacting. In this scenario, even if God manages to patch things up, our suffering would be meaningless. We would become Satan’s playthings and our suffering would exist just for his amusement.
However, evil is not uncontrolled. Because God reigns over all (Ps. 103:19), nothing happens outside of God’s control and plans. Even if we can’t grasp it this side of eternity, our sufferings have a place in God’s plans. Because even our sufferings fit into God’s plans, we don’t suffer in vain. Our sufferings have meaning because God uses them for his purposes.
The life of Job is a good example. This follower of God had it all—money, land, status, family. One day in God’s throne room, Satan broached his disgust over Job’s pious reputation (Job 1:10). “The man loves you because you bribe him,” the Devil argued. “But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face (Job 1:11).” God answered, “Job is yours, only don’t lay a finger on his person.” The words were scarcely out of God’s mouth when lightning killed Job’s sheep and shepherds; a Chaldean raiding party plundered the cattle and herdsmen; then a mighty wind collapsed a roof on Job’s children. So we ask, who caused Job’s trials?
Satan’s motive was to wreck Job’s life and mock God. God’s reaction to the Devil was merely to lengthen his leash. God’s decree made room for evil to occur, but God didn’t do it. He simply used the deliberate evil of wicked people, as well as the impersonal evil of some bad storms.