Over the past sixteen years of being a Christian, one question I have been asked by many people is, “Why doesn’t God stop all the suffering and evil in the world?” In other words, why doesn’t He do something? Now that’s a good question. Sadly enough though, this question has caused many people to not believe in God. I hope that this article at least takes a step towards answering this question.
I’d like to start first by saying that according to the Word of God, God is not the one that is the source of evil and suffering for It Is Written :
John 10:10
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy …”.
The “thief” here refers to the Devil for it is he who according to the scriptures has the power of death. He is referred to in the Bible as the god of this world (that is god with a lower case ‘g’). The scriptures also reveal that it is the Devil that controls many of the systems and schemes of our world. Keeping this clear goes a long way in understanding much of our world.
Now God (upper case ‘G’), the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, so lovingly provided mankind with a savior. This savior was, and is, His son. By confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and by believing that God raised him from the dead anyone can be saved (Romans 10:9, 10). This has been provided freely for us but God paid for it dearly with the life of His son. Once a man or woman is saved (or born again as the Word of God also refers to it), that person is now a child of God. (I realize that this is contrary to much prevalent thinking which says that everyone is a child of God).
Once a person becomes a child of God, the scriptures declare that he or she is no longer under the authority of the Devil but belongs to God. The Bible further states that a Christian has Christ in them and that is greater than the power of the Devil. We are also told that because of the new birth, a believer has eternal life which means that some day he/she will be gathered together at the return of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, while we await the return of Christ we have access to all that God has made available to us.
Now, here’s the problem. How would anyone know any of this without knowing the Word of God? The answer is simple, they wouldn’t. This is the secret to the success of the Devil in bringing much suffering and evil upon people in the world. People just do not know all that has been made available to them by the work of Jesus Christ. Not knowing this, they fall victim to the evil workings of the Devil. (By the way, if you do not believe that there is a Devil, you’re even a better target. I suggest you take a brief read of the New Testament.)
So, “Why doesn’t God do something?”. Well the answer to this is quite simple: He has. He had His only begotten son die for us so that we could be saved. Anyone who wants may freely avail themselves of God’s loving invitation to make Jesus Christ their Lord and to believe that God has raised him from the dead. With this God gives you eternal life and access to all the power that God has. With this you have the potential to really reach out and help bring deliverance to anyone who desires it.
“Why doesn’t God stop all the suffering and evil in the world?” Might I ask, “Why don’t you believe God?”