One of the oldest arguments against the existence of a good God is the philosophical conundrum, the problem of evil. It goes like this:
If God is all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful, how can evil exist in the world? In other words, God knows something bad will happen; he is good enough not to want it to happen, and he is strong enough to stop it. Why doesn’t he stop it? This question remains one of the go-to arguments against a Christian concept of God, and it has also shaken many Christians’ faith.
My aim today, as you read, is not to offer one or several of the dozens of philosophical or theological answers to that question, but instead, I invite you to wrestle with it. There are theological and philosophical arguments that engage that question well, but I’ve found they are often insufficient to meet us in the emotional spaces of our doubt. Instead, I believe that Jesus would invite you to address your questions to him. If God was afraid of our questions, he could find a way to eliminate them for us. Perhaps a healthy way to explore your questions and doubts is to pray a prayer like this:
“God I don’t understand why you do the things you do the way you do them. Help me understand. Guide my wandering heart to your mind and heart through my questions. Give me peace as I go on the fear-filled journey. Amen”
