It is amazing how this singular question is one of the reasons many have rejected Jesus Christ or the gospel. Living in a country like Nigeria that has been dealing with terrorism for many years, I’ve heard many people say things like, “forget it, we don’t need prayer, we just need to carry our own guns and fight back”. During the global lockdown, that was many people’s conviction… there is no God, because if there was a “God”, then why did such a pandemic hit us? Where was he when thousands were dying of covid?
What does the bible say about this? This should always be our guiding principle as believer,
When God made man, he made us superior to angels. After the creation, he said, “Be fruitful and multiply”, this was God’s original intention for mankind…not to be poor and beggarly, sick, etc. but to be fruitful.
So if this was God’s intention, how then did evil and bad things come to be?
Evil came into this world as a result of sin.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3:9-24
With the scripture above, you can see that everything was perfect on earth when God finished creation, but then, satan had to come to ruin everything.
Man was originally designed to reign and rule on earth, but just like Esau sold his birthright for food, Man fell as a result of disobedience and so Satan stole man’s birthright. Now because sin begets sin, the single act of disobedience brought about jealousy, envy, hatred, selfishness, greed, etc. Which are the result of many wars and terrible things going on in the world today.
Should we be hopeless?
Well, no. There is hope because Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, brought us victory over and salvation from sin. As a result, we can reign and rule again when we accept him as our lord and savior. However, it is not easy. This is because of the devil who constantly tempts us… so our walk with God becomes a “fight of (our) faith”, a fight we fight till the end.
Conclusion
It is not God who causes his children to suffer. The suffering, sicknesses and diseases, and wickedness in the world today are a result of the sinful nature of man. But through repentance, we are made right with God and through our faith, we live victoriously. However, despite millions who have given their lives to Christ and non-believers who are still good people, there are still many sinful people on earth, with very wicked thoughts for humanity, which is why there is still so much evil in the world today. Unfortunately, this is the case until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, when Satan and his cohorts have been judged and cast into the lake of fire… then there will be peace on earth.
But…
Fear not! For the bible says, “They that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”. In Psalm 91, He says,
1.He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91: 1-16
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