James 1:17

New King James Version

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Many times, the scripture describes the goodness of God to be as of light and the cruelty and evil in the world to be of darkness. The Bible then calls our God, the Father of Lights! In him, there is no variation or shadow of turning. It means we can bank on God’s goodness. He doesn’t shift with the tides, he doesn’t change with the seasons. He remains the same- a good father!

Now, imagine reading a book filled with unrelated stories and trying to connect them. It would be like trying to complete a puzzle from pieces of different sets. No matter how hard you try, the pieces just won’t fit together to make a complete picture.

Similarly, life is full of paradoxes. If you take a good look at the world, you see so much chaos, war, cruelty, corruption, incurable diseases, poverty and the list goes on. It is almost as if the more we see, the harder it becomes to trust that God is really good. How can we marry the idea of the existence of a good God with the presence of evil in our world?

If he is so good, why do all these bad things happen? This is essentially what we are talking about in today’s devotional.

This question is triggered by many things and more often than not, they come from personal experiences like losing a job, losing a loved one, living with a terminal disease and so on. As we seek to address this question today, it is important to acknowledge the genuine hurt and pain that you might have gone through.

Although, what we present to you today is another perspective to view these things with.

Think about this- does the existence of barbers in the world mean that everyone should have a fresh clean cut? Obviously not. Because it is most probable that you can count a few people you know now that have very bushy hairs. Does this cancel out the existence of great barbers?

Therefore, we cannot say that barbers don’t exist because there are people with unkempt hair.

Likewise, the existence of God is not nullified by the presence of evil.

It might interest you to know that God actually works in-spite of the evil in our world.

Another thing you must understand about God that is pertinent to the topic of conversation is that God is sovereign. By that we mean that he has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything he chooses with his creation. Despite his sovereignty in the creation design, he gives man the free will to think and make decisions for himself. Take two minutes to think about this. It is only a God that is truly sovereign and secure that would give his creation the ability to think for themselves and in the process choose him and his ways instead of evil because anything other than this is mind control.

These two concepts are not contradictory. The free will of man is proof of the sovereignty of God. Only a sovereign God can allow the free will of man.

Psalms 115:16

New King James Version

16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.

This partnership between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will cause its effects in this world.

Genesis 1:1

New King James Version

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:26-28

New King James Version

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God gave man dominion over the earth and the freedom to choose, which includes the choice to do good or evil. Evil wasn’t invented; it is the absence of choosing good. Man chose to disobey God, thus, bringing sin and death into the world. Despite man’s disobedience and the result thereof, God was already setting His salvation plan in motion.

Genesis 3:15

New King James Version

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.

Some theologians say that this is the first mention of the gospel in scripture. It is a prophecy about how God would deliver us all from the effect of the fall of man. He said the woman’s seed would bruise the serpent’s head, and the serpent would only bruise the heel of the woman’s seed. Biologically, a woman doesn’t have a seed. It is a man that has a seed. This means who ever is going to defeat the serpent has to be born of a virgin. Who is the only person in history that fits that criteria? – Jesus

So you need to discern Jesus in that light, as the man who came not only to pay for your sins forever but also to defeat death and the power of the enemy forever! He came to defeat evil!

Hebrews 2:14

New King James Version

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

His death was not even the end of the story, he rose again! He defeated death! Now truly, death has lost its sting.

Revelation 1:18

New King James Version

18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

It was as though Jesus broke the gates of hell, to release all the captives. Despite the evil the free will of man has brought, Christ reigned victorious over it all. It might have looked like there’s no hope, but Christ came to give us hope. He came to end death. There will come a time when there will be no more sickness or evil, and this future is already ordained by God.

Revelation 21:4

New King James Version

4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

God’s final plan for evil is its complete defeat. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof that God has triumphed over evil. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 15:57

New King James Version

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You need to understand that Christ reigns victorious over the evils of the world and the victory isn’t for him alone. He did it all for you! Yes, you!

Let nothing move you outside the revelation of God’s goodness. God is not only good, but He is also in control, even in the midst of evil. You might not see now, but all things will work together for your good at the end of it all.

Keep trusting!
Don’t loose faith!

Prayer Point:

Lord as I pray today, help me find comfort in the assurance of scriptures that you have already defeated evil forever. Help me focus on the goodness you demonstrated in the work on redemption.