Questions like these become very difficult, especially when they become so personal. How do you comfort a grieving mother with the words “God is in control” when she has just lost a young daughter in a car crash or worse, a victim of a violent crime? How can you give hope to a father with young children at home with the words “God has a plan” when he loses his job or diagnosed with a serious illness? When the emotional wounds are especially deep, well-meaning phrases to offer hope can come across as being hollow – even inappropriate. We can only offer words based on the faith and hope that all will be resolved and understood when a person who has placed their trust in Christ finally gets to heaven.
We are all sinful people who live in a sinful world. So much pain and suffering is a result of sinful behavior. Political strife often causes famine. Economics create unsafe living conditions and even faulty equipment. Idealism spawns fanaticism and acts of evil terror. A tumultuous world brings pain and suffering into our lives. But what about those times when it wasn’t our fault? A company in debt. A drunk driver at the wheel. It is during those times that we need to dig deeper spiritually – not just within ourselves, but within the spiritual realm.
The Bible also indicates that our world contains a spiritual dimension made up of angels and demons. These evil spiritual forces are in a state of war against God and everything good. Our earth is the battlefield. One well-known Christian theologian appropriately calls it the “problem of evil” as it has a direct influence on everything. All people, including Christians, are potential victims. Like Job in the Old Testament, we become innocent casualties of a spiritual war by getting caught between a cross-fire of good and evil. We don’t know exactly how these forces work. We do know, however, that God preserves and protects us according to his will, because God is stronger than evil. He has already conquered evil and the victory is ours who call upon his name. God, who is in control of the universe, works out all things (even evil) for their own good. We are not called upon to understand the wisdom of God, but simply accept circumstances in our lives – no matter how difficult they may be. Like a small child, we simply place our trust in our Heavenly Father knowing he cares for us, loves us and will provide.
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