If the creator of our world has the knowledge and power to eliminate suffering, evil, and death, why doesn’t he do it? We are told to trust him—that we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death without fear. How is that working out for you?
By allowing evil, God appears to be evil.
We make excuse for God, saying he didn’t cause the evil. Therefore, he is not responsible. Suppose a policeman was standing at the curb and saw a man enter the store behind him with a gun. Shots were fired, and he sees the man running away with cash in his hand. If the policeman did nothing, he didn’t cause the evil. Yet he’s guilty of a crime because he was capable of intervening.
The Bible’s miracle stories continually show God’s ability to intervene. When he’s like someone standing on the street corner, watching bad things happen, people may have trouble excusing God’s failure to answer their prayers. They don’t want to say he’s incapable or doesn’t care. But if he’s not guilty of a crime, what else can it be?
God is omniscient, omnipotent, and so loving that he will sacrifice himself.
So how can we explain God not stepping in right now? Maybe we can blame the devil. Satan goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Some people say he is the cause of all their problems. They rebuke him, but the problems don’t go away. Why is God standing there, watching things happen, yet not stopping the offenses?
The problem with saying, “The devil did it,” is the reality that God has the greater power. The devil, wicked people, and all forces on Earth can only work as God allows.
Could sin be the reason for our calamities?
Sometimes, but not always.
Friends told Job all would be well if he repented of his sin. They made a wrong assumption, not knowing that God had a different reason for Satan’s limited ability to afflict Job. The same is true for Christians, for God provides an escape for all the temptations he allows (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Some would say our sins are forgiven, but we must still suffer the consequence for our actions. When beaten, imprisoned, and suffering shipwreck, the apostle Paul never made that argument. Instead, he said all these things work for good if we love God and are working to fulfill his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Whether God causes or allows our distress doesn’t matter.
If we can do nothing about our distress, we’re left to trust him until the day when he takes it away—and he will. We just don’t know when. In the meantime, we should know he isn’t guilty of a crime. Why? Because he has a good purpose in all that he causes or allows.
We can be thankful for delays that bring patience, because endurance is essential for receiving God’s promise. — Hebrews 10:36, The Discussion Bible