Questions of Evil

The question has to be asked. "Where was God in Las Vegas last weekend?" Or "If God is such a loving God, why did He allow this to happen?" Logical questions I guess. The answer is simple. Two little words.

Before I tell you what those two little words are,
let me tell you something that's been bugging me.
 There are different ways that people respond to tragic events such as the one that just happened in Las Vegas. For example, in the world of Facebook and Twitter people express their sadness or opinions about the situation in words. We read those words and know how someone feels. But what good does that do?

My least favorite phrase that gets uttered during times of loss is, “Our thoughts are with you.” Really? Our “thoughts”, if not turned into prayers, are meaningless. Here ends my commentary on “thoughts”. Let’s get back to the question about why evil exists in the world.

I promised you the answer in just two simple words. Here they are.

FREE WILL.

God created us with free will. In others words, we choose to do things. We CHOOSE to get up in the morning and go to work. On the way there we CHOOSE to obey traffic signs and NOT to obey speed limit signs. Adolf Hitler chose to order the killing of millions of Jews. The shooter in Las Vegas CHOSE to fire his weapon into a crowd. WHY? Only God knows why we make some of the decisions we do. however, it is WE who choose to do the evil.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." - Romans 1:28-32

And where is God during all of this? He is right there amongst the hurting and the dead. He is welcoming some of His sons and daughters home. He is providing comfort to those who lost loved ones. He is there with His children. He positioned people at the event - a group of fire fighters who helped set up emergency triage, a band member who helped lead others to safety. He was there.

“But pity the man who falls and has no one to pick him up” - Ecclesiastes 4:10

 

God cries with those who mourn. Jesus cried over one man's death (Lazarus). But God has the power to raise the dead. So our prayers for the families of the fallen go up to the only One who can truly save - our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May He have mercy on us for the choices we make, and forgive us when we do what is not right in HIS eyes.

Evil and Suffering - RZIM
Who Is Responsible For Evil? - Ravi Zacharias