So many people ask the age-old question– “how can a loving God allow evil to exist?”
I truly am convinced that God himself is the only one who can give a perfect answer to that question and He has chosen not to give us a perfect answer (not for now anyway). I certainly do not have the perfect answer, and as a matter of fact, nobody else really has a perfect answer to that age-old question, and God does not owe us an explanation either. God does not have to explain himself to us, and that is His prerogative. Only in Heaven would we have all the answers, but for now, we are to trust him even if we do not have all the answers.
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of the world will be no more. We just have to be patient because the day is coming when God will click His finger and pain and suffering will be no more. And on that day, we will see Jesus face to face. My only hope is holding on to this promise of God as revealed in the scripture.
The only answer to the question of evil and the existence of evil is not to blame God but to allow yourself to receive a new heart, new spirit, and new set of eyes that God wants to give you as a gift. Only when you receive these gifts would you be able to at least to a certain degree begin to comprehend the problem of evil and the revelation of the Scripture that in all things ( the bad, the good, the tough times, the easy times, the painful things, the pleasant things, the senseless things and the sensible things) God works together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
During His earthly ministry, Christ Jesus said (John 14:15) that, “If you love me you obey my commandments.” And if you really want to know that you love God, ask yourself- Am I walking in obedience?
In the 11th century, when King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of his job of governing and all the pressure of the monarchy, he went and made an application to a local monastery headed by a man named Pryor Richard. There he asked if it would be accepted for him to spend the rest of his life in the local monastery away from trouble, problems and difficulties.
Pryor Richard said to him, “your majesty, do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience. That’s going to be hard for you because you have been a king.”
“I understand,” said King Henry. “The rest of my life I will be obedient to you Richard, as Christ leads you.”
Pryor Richard thought for a minute and reflected on this man, and then he said to him, “if you are willing to be obedient, here is the first order. Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has placed you.” When King Henry III died, a statement was written:
“The king learnt to rule by being obedient.”
God’s highest call upon our lives is to serve him faithfully and honestly wherever we may find ourselves. Whatever we do, the Bible says (Colossians 3:23-24) we are to work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive the inheritance as our reward because we are serving the Lord Christ.
There is nothing wrong with looking forward to a reward when we are busy serving the Lord, it is very biblical to do so. I am looking forward to my reward, and work everyday looking for those five heavenly crowns (the imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life) not so that I can put them on my head and take pride in my accomplishment, but so that on that great day, I am going to take all those crowns and place them at His feet (Jesus) and say, “you are worthy to receive all the glory.”
At the same time, I think we can often be harder on ourselves than God is on us when we give of ourselves in doing God’s work (whatever that may be). Apparently, at the age of 83, John Wesley having travelled 250,000 miles on horseback, preached 40,000 sermons, written 200 books and booklets, at the age of 83, John Wesley regretted that he is being unable to read and write more than 15 hours a day without his eyes getting tired. At his 86th birthday, he made a big confession of a big sin that he now increasingly developing this tendency to sleep in till 5:30am in the morning.
Indeed, one of the saddest thing is a person who was on fire for God in their youth but then their love for the Lord has grown cold when they got older. It’s one thing for someone to start doing God’s work and quite another thing for someone to continue on with the work until the work on earth is done.
It is much easier to start well, but it is a lot harder to finish well. It does not take a great deal of discipline to be enthusiastic about the commencement of something, but it takes a real commitment to see it through. Halfway is always the most critical time of any project or at any point in a person’s life. The halfway point is often a dangerous place for any project, any building program, any major undertaking because it is often the point where discouragement sets in. Many people feel this way at the midpoint of their lives. That is why they often experience the phenomenon we call “a midlife crisis.”
We can easily become mired in hurt, rejection, pain and anger. Or we succumb to the pressure of juggling the responsibilities of a family, a home, a job and our church involvement. Day-to-day irritations drain us mentally and sap our spiritual strength. Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of yesteryears used to say that the bow that is always bent would certainly break.
Even Elijah the great man of God at one point of his ministry became so restless spiritually and physically. And more than anything else, God knew that Elijah needed rest during his time of restlessness, so God provided food and rest to Elijah before setting him back on the journey of ministry. It was only after rest that Elijah was ready to resume ministry and God was ready to talk to him.
God cares more about the servant and his or her life than the service. God can do anything He wants to do, He can use anyone, but He cares deeply for you, and your walk with him. God intended rest to be a part of the natural rhythm of physical life. The Bible says (Genesis 2:2) that on the seventh day of Creation, the Sabbath day, the Lord rested from all His labour. In the embrace of God, we find peace and rest for our souls.
“Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
In Christ Alone 