Living in A World Affected by Evil
by Joe Leavell
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
In our last post here, we looked at how evil was ultimately defeated by Christ through the cross and will one day be eradicated upon His return. Evil is ultimately defeated through the grace and goodness of God as demonstrated through the cross of Christ! He really does care enough not just to show up and say “I care about you” but to finally fix the ultimate problem at its core.
However, we still live in a world where evil, sorrow, and pain is ever present. Christ has not yet returned to eradicate the presence of sin and suffering, and so we endure. Not only do we face the frustrations and difficulties of living in a world of disease, viruses, illness, and just general suffering, we also face the living with people who do great damage to one another. Not to mention, we also are human and must face the consequences of our own foolish or sinful choices.
How can we continue on in a world where we know Jesus has won and yet we see so much evidence that a battle filled with pain and suffering continues to rage?
The evil we face does not always have to look overtly sinister on the surface for us to feel its effects. For example, most of us have not had to live through the obvious horror of a terror attack. That does not mean we have not experienced real hurts and pains. Sometimes, the effects of evil are the natural consequences of our own failures to believe and obey the particulars of the Gospel. We also greatly suffer the effects of evil in the way we treat one another.
Many of the pains of their world come simply because the earth has been cursed through sin. Our world is full of sorrows from physical ailments to great trauma that leaves scars that are less obvious to see. Some pain we experience are so common we are so oblivious to notice because we know of nothing better. How often do you think about needing glasses, or the reasons why you need to lock your doors at night?
How Do We make Sense of It All?
Many today are struggling to make sense of it all. They wonder how God could still love us and leave us in this world with these kinds of physical, mental, and emotional pains to endure. Questions ring out from our broken hearts. Where is God when my loved one commits suicide? How do I see God’s goodness in my failing marriage? Why would God allow someone to abuse me and harm me? Cancer? Doesn’t He love me? Why won’t He stop the pain? Will my depression never go away? How can I not live a life full of fear? How can I find hope when all I see is pain? I’m not sure how much more I can take!
These are all important questions to consider.
How Do We Ask?
One aspect about our God that I love is that He does not shy away from tough questions. He does not demand that followers of Christ be brainless robots who cannot address difficult matters. Before responding from a biblical counseling perspective, however, we must ask in what spirit are our questions being asked?
There is a difference between demanding that God answer to us, as if we are His judge, and simply seeking to know Him and understand Him more. So if you are experiencing pain in your life’s circumstances, I would ask, do you simply want answers to all of your questions about God or do you sincerely desire to know and worship God for who He is, not for what we think He should be? Honestly, if your view of God is that He should always do everything exactly according to your ways, your will, and your understanding, then there is a good chance that your ‘god’ is yourself.
Is God Really Good?
God really does care.
He really is good!
There really will be an end to the pain one day.
He really does have a purpose in all your suffering.
Those words can sound hollow when experiencing a hole in your heart and when you wonder how you can make it through just one more day. Yet, there is ample evidence to trust God’s character even in the midst of our pain and that actually matters. These words can either be trite or salve to the soul. Resting in our future hope and in God’s present character really is the path to comfort and endurance. God really does weep over our pain and suffering. He does love the brokenhearted and does not enjoy watching our struggles. Hebrews 4:15 says that we have a Great High Priest named Jesus who sympathizes with our struggles and our pain because He has experienced more suffering and pain than we can imagine, all without sin.
“We do not hold on through our struggles simply because we hope for something better. We hold on because we know Jesus is better! ”
In this way, all our questions about the character of God and what He is doing in the here and now can find meaning at the foot of the cross. He does not always promise to shield us from those who do us harm, but He does promise to be with us in the middle of our pain. He actually does have a purpose for what we endure, even if He should choose not to give us all the details this side of heaven. Ultimately, He will not waste your heartache and grief and He truly will right every wrong.
While there are far too many various forms of pain to address in one post, if you are struggling, we want to be there for you. We desire for you to experience the goodness of God in the midst of your struggles and pain. We will work to see you connected in biblical community with a solid local church that will love you, shepherd you, and help you see and experience the goodness of God. We want to share with you the truth from God’s Word, not in trite ways or with empty platitudes that you can hang on your wall. We want to help, not in ways that make us look brilliant and make you depend on us, but in meaningful ways that show you the loving compassion of Christ. We do not promise to know the answer to all the particulars of every question you may have because God does not reveal all aspects of His will (Deuteronomy 29:29), but we promise to point you to the One who, even when we do not understand, we know we can completely trust.
For Further Study:
Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense - by Paul Tripp
When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty - by Joni Eareckson Tada
