How Do We Face The Evil In This World?

On the evil in the world…

There are days where it feels like the world is simply too broken. We see another tragedy, another life lost, another family grieving, another act of violence, another story of hatred, injustice, or senseless suffering. And sometimes if we’re honest we don’t even know what to say anymore.

We pray, but questions remain, like “Why did this happen?” “Why didn’t God stop it?” “How can people do these things to one another?” “How much more can this world take?” “How much more can I take?”

There are some things in this lifetime that we will never be able to explain completely. Scripture is full of people who looked at brokenness around them and cried out to God.

Think about when Jesus stood before Lazarus, He knew death would not have the final word and yet He wept. This means God does not ask us to look at suffering and pretend it doesn’t hurt.

Your grief does not offend God, your questions don’t worry Him, your tears are not a failure of faith. Sometimes faith isn’t having an explanation, it’s saying “God, I don’t understand this but I’m still going to bring my heart to you.”

The evil we see in this world is not a reflection of God’s heart. God entered our suffering.

Jesus was betrayed, rejected, mocked, beaten and unjustly condemned. Jesus suffered at the hands of humans who chose cruelty over love and He was crucified for us.

And at the cross, the worst things humanity could do became the place where God displayed the greatest love humanity had ever known.

Evil does not get the final say, Jesus does.

One day God will make all things new.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” - Revelation 21:4