God is still here in the light

When senseless, evil acts occur that kill, wound, inflict suffering on people we know and love like the terrorist shooting that happened a week ago in Orlando, it is hard at first for many of us not to ask, “Why does God allow this to happen?” or “Why didn’t God stop it?” I believe the answer comes down to this: God left man with free will, and there is evil in the world; people are sick, flawed, irresponsible, intolerant, self-centered, vulnerable to evil…and that because there is evil in the world, humans will do terrible things to each other. Then, we might ask, “Why does God allow evil?” This, I think, is a tougher question.   Let’s look at what God’s Word says: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) Since we live in man’s world, not God’s perfect world of peace and love, our society will continue to experience evil acts of terror such as Orlando, San Bernadino, 9-11. I believe we need to not only pray for the victims, but continually pray to do God’s Will.  And it may mean taking action if called upon; we may never face a terrorist or have to help save a victim, like Rory Justice in my novel, The Runaway Prophet, a character based on the Prophet Jonah. But like Rory,  it may mean believing that God’s plan is perfect and we all have a part to play in carrying out that plan. In our world today, it may mean doing the next right thing, standing up for religious freedom or the rights of the unborn, counseling someone who is suffering and having difficulty believing in God, and soon in the U.S., voting for the presidential candidate most likely to do God’s will and lead our country to fight evil. Lord, just for today, let us pray to do Your Will and hold onto the hope that light always follows darkness.