Introduction
I have heard many times over the years people questioning God to the extent of judging him. I’ve heard statements like, “If God were all-powerful and loves us, why does he allow us to suffer so much?” People also ask why God hasn’t done anything about the evil in the world, claiming that he could end the evil whenever he wants.
People accuse God of being unjust, unloving, and perhaps impotent because the world seems so full of evil, and he seems to do nothing about it. Perhaps he doesn’t care. The Deists believe that God is not involved in our daily lives. They believe God’s relationship with us is like a clockmaker who makes a clock, winds it up, and then leaves it to tick alone.
How can we mere humans suppose that we can judge the creator of the universe and of ourselves? All the knowledge of the physicists who attempt to understand how the universe works pales in comparison to the knowledge of God and how his creation really works. Even recently, the James Webb telescope has provided data from observing distant galaxies that what we thought we knew about the universe was wrong.
How can we presume to judge God? How can we place ourselves on his level by dictating what he should or should not do? We can’t, and that is what I’d like to discuss in this article.
The Problem of Pain
I began studying apologetics because I had questions about God’s interaction with humans and reconciling the world with what I knew about God. I soon realized that my knowledge of God was flawed because of religious corruption. Instead of gaining a genuine perspective of God personally, religious beliefs, church dogma, and traditions concealed God.
The problem of pain is a concept and perhaps an accusation regarding God, evil, and human pain and suffering. God could do something about the evil and sin in the world if he were genuinely all-powerful. He would do something about human pain and suffering if he really loved us. However, evil is consistently increasing worldwide, and human pain and suffering are growing. So, either God is not all-powerful or doesn’t care about us.
I discovered that the problem of pain is really the problem of humans. First, God has done something about the evil in the world. He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we could enter the right relationship with him. God defeated sin and its power over us through Jesus Christ. However, we insist on sinning.
A significant revelation from the Bible is God works through people. Even salvation was procured for us through the man Jesus Christ. God could have declared from the heavens that anyone who looks up at 5:00 and says, “Help me, Father,” would be saved and enter into right relations with him. Instead, he sent a man, his only begotten son, to die for our sins so we wouldn’t have to.
The Bible reveals that God uses people to implement his will on the earth. We learn to pray as children that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. However, do you know you are God’s vessel to carry out his will?
What Have You Done?
So, what have you done about evil and human suffering around you? Are you a vessel God uses? People accuse God of causing so much pain and suffering when, in fact, he has tried to help. People go to churches and think they have done something. The Bible says faith without works is dead. That means that your faith should be revealed by your actions and how you carry yourself.
The Bible reveals that Satan goes around looking for people to destroy. Satan is the murderer, thief, and liar. Yet when bad things happen, we blame and accuse God of injustice. We presume we know what God should or shouldn’t do. Our wisdom and knowledge are effectively zero when compared to God’s. We know nothing. People blame and accuse God of something that Satan and the forces of evil are behind.
What do we do when a loved one is sick or in financial trouble? Do we call on God for them or refer them to the nearest doctor or banker? People don’t know God and are powerless to do anything besides depending on other humans for help. Many so-called Christians remain babies in their faith because they do not know God’s word, nor do they practice it.
People would rather delude themselves with religious practices instead of actively carrying out God’s will. They blame God for the problems and pains in the world. They accuse and judge God for things we should have a hand in. God will not make you do anything, though he can be quite persuasive (like Jonah and Moses).
It’s Our Decision
We decide to allow God’s will to flow through us. We decide to be vessels God uses to help others. Moses could have said no to God in the end. Jonah could have remained adamant about not going to Nineveh. However, they decided to obey God. Likewise, we must express God’s love to those around us, and then we will realize what God is doing about pain, suffering, and evil.
We can be the miracle for someone as God works through us. Instead of blaming God for the tragedies in the world, do what you can to counter some of them. Help your neighbor. Pray for those sick around you, genuinely believing that your prayers will bring recovery.
Conclusion
It is ridiculous for humans to judge God. He created the universe and sustains life. It is because of him that we exist and thrive on this planet. It is not God’s will that we suffer and experience so much pain. God’s enemy, the devil, is the one who murders, steals, and lies. His objective is to destroy us, whereas God desires us to prosper.
Unfortunately, we do not involve ourselves in realizing God’s will on earth. We sit back and complain about the world’s pains and blame God. Instead, blame the devil and do what you can to counter evil in the world. Pray more. Read and meditate over Scripture.
First, build a personal and intimate relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. Be a doer of the word of God. Be more than a religious person and become a fruitful vine, e.g., allow the power and love of God to flow through you. Above all, do not blame or judge God.
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