Why evil?

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

Agreement is, very obviously, important by our instruction to walk in the same steps. (2 Cor 12:18) In fact, sameness encompasses walking, writing, judgment, mind, and speaking.

Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

Acts 15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

It does appear in Scripture to point to the importance of members in the body, i.e. teachers, to "speak the same things".

I Cor. 1:10 Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (Philippians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:1; Philippians 3:1)

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

farouk said:
I'm amazed how many ppl claim to be able to add to the Word of God through their own experiences and visions!

Psalm 119.105; Psalm 119.89; John 17.17.

___________________________________
Many Charismatic pastors believe that all revelation from Scripture has not been uncovered. At times, the Lord will dedicate a certain anointed pastor/teacher to ferret out the hidden manna, the deeper truths. I too believe that so many writers today with huge platforms have so little to say while quiet, hidden men of God have produced volumes of deep revelation with so little exposure. The self-help titles written by shallow minds for shallow readers seem to literally fly off of the Christian bookstore shelves, while deep wells of pure clear revelation remain hidden within the parchments of unexplored authors. It's not an addition to the Word they write but rather a deeper revelation as understood in the words “deep calleth unto deep".

marks · Jun 28, 2019

farouk said:
I'm amazed how many ppl claim to be able to add to the Word of God through their own experiences and visions!

Psalm 119.105; Psalm 119.89; John 17.17.

Seems to happen a lot! I've learned, I can't question whether or not someone has had a vision from God, but I can ask, how do we know what is then claimed is true or not?

If someone teaches what an angel told them, I can't know whether it is true or not unless it conforms to what I've already been given, and that I've concluded IS true, the Bible.

Much love!

marks · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
Agreement is, very obviously, important by our instruction to walk in the same steps. (2 Cor 12:18) In fact, sameness encompasses walking, writing, judgment, mind, and speaking.

Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

Acts 15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

It does appear in Scripture to point to the importance of members in the body, i.e. teachers, to "speak the same things".

I Cor. 1:10 Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (Philippians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:1; Philippians 3:1)

And so, Hope in God, how can it be brought about that that we will all speak the same thing?

Much love!

marks · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
___________________________________
Many Charismatic pastors believe that all revelation from Scripture has not been uncovered. At times, the Lord will dedicate a certain anointed pastor/teacher to ferret out the hidden manna, the deeper truths. I too believe that so many writers today with huge platforms have so little to say while quiet, hidden men of God have produced volumes of deep revelation with so little exposure. The self-help titles written by shallow minds for shallow readers seem to literally fly off of the Christian bookstore shelves, while deep wells of pure clear revelation remain hidden within the parchments of unexplored authors. It's not an addition to the Word they write but rather a deeper revelation as understood in the words “deep calleth unto deep".

Like!

illini1959 · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
_________________________________________
Excellent post, Lady. I did a half hour search with the words evil, wickedness, harm, and others to see if I could uncover Scriptures in the NT that state the same thing as Psalms. What I noticed were promises to care for us as Jesus does the birds and lillies if we decide not to take thought for those things. If two or more agree on anything, we are encouraged to ask what we will and it shall be done for us. We can say to a mountain to be removed. If we abide in Him we can ask what we will and it shall be done for us....all of which are prosperity gospel references we've all heard countless times which have been refuted by much of the earliest followers of that line of thinking.

You do make a very interesting point which bears consideration. Thanks for sharing the differences you see between the OT and NT passages. It does tempt one to toss out OT promises, which I won't do until my view is built on more searching.

Hello and welcome! I'm pretty new, myself.

Many people here have already given thoughtful and relevant scripture.

Sometimes it helps to understand to whom the books of the bible written to or about; the OT is the history, law, prophesy, poetry, etc., regarding Israel and throughout is the promise of the Redeemer/Messiah.

Christ doesn't establish His church - the body of believers - until after His resurrection. We aren't promised (as others have posted) no evil will befall us or that we won't experience pain or suffering. We live in a fallen world - disease, famine, crime, etc., are all going to happen.

This will increase as Christ's return draws closer -

"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." 2 Timothy 3:1

The "prosperity gospel references" you post (and I understand why!) all forget one thing - His will.

John 15:16 says "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you"

Everyone knows the second part of that verse, right? The 'whatever you ask in my name...' part - but - anyone who is bearing fruit isn't going to use God as a vending machine, so to speak. The 'whatever you ask' is going to be within His will - 1 John 3:22 "and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him."

Lastly on this, James says You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4:3)

My point is, bad things are going to happen in this life. Following Christ isn't easy; the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us. But - He equips us. He is with us and will never forsake us. Ephesians 6 tells us how to fight the enemy (it's God's fight - but He tells us how to armor ourselves).

I hope all of this helps, not my posts particularly, but everyone who's sharing His word rightly divided.

God bless

farouk · Jun 28, 2019

illini1959 said:
Hello and welcome! I'm pretty new, myself.

Many people here have already given thoughtful and relevant scripture.

Sometimes it helps to understand to whom the books of the bible written to or about; the OT is the history, law, prophesy, poetry, etc., regarding Israel and throughout is the promise of the Redeemer/Messiah.

Christ doesn't establish His church - the body of believers - until after His resurrection. We aren't promised (as others have posted) no evil will befall us or that we won't experience pain or suffering. We live in a fallen world - disease, famine, crime, etc., are all going to happen.

This will increase as Christ's return draws closer -

"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." 2 Timothy 3:1

The "prosperity gospel references" you post (and I understand why!) all forget one thing - His will.

John 15:16 says "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you"

Everyone knows the second part of that verse, right? The 'whatever you ask in my name...' part - but - anyone who is bearing fruit isn't going to use God as a vending machine, so to speak. The 'whatever you ask' is going to be within His will - 1 John 3:22 "and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him."

Lastly on this, James says You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4:3)

My point is, bad things are going to happen in this life. Following Christ isn't easy; the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us. But - He equips us. He is with us and will never forsake us. Ephesians 6 tells us how to fight the enemy (it's God's fight - but He tells us how to armor ourselves).

I hope all of this helps, not my posts particularly, but everyone who's sharing His word rightly divided.

God bless

The whole armour of God passage in Ephesians 6 is indeed very instructive.

GodsGrace · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
I am new here, so this topic you may have crossed paths with. My apologies.
________________________________
How insistent the following verses seem to be.

Proverbs 12:21, “There shall no evil happen to the just…”

Psalm 91:10, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

Psalm 121:7, “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

Have you found these to be true in your life? Has no evil befallen you or illness come to your home?

Consider Paul’s sufferings: “in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Cor. 23-27)

What is the hidden lesson here? Do we admit to the presence of evil in our lives at times or do we ignore, even deny, circumstances as Christian Scientists do?

Within my life, I have known heartache, pain, tragedy, loneliness, disappointment, loss, bad choices, and so much more. What was the cause? Did I not make God my dwelling place? Why was evil allowed to befall me? Why hadn’t God guarded and delivered me?

What if bad things happen to reasonably good people? Has God forsaken them? Punished them? Taken His hedge away?

Good thread.
Welcome to the forum.
Yes, this subject is not new, but it's an important one because it could literally cause one to lose faith.

My comment is that you've provided the perfect reason why the O.T. must be understood the way it was written. Not all of the O.T. is supposed to be taken literally. If it is, Christianity is chock full of questions that cannot be answered.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust.
God's grace falls on all.
We are in the territory of the Prince of the Air.
Did the generations of the O.T. know about the Prince of the Air?
Did they have a concept of satan?
Did they understand about evil, the way we do today?

I don't believe so...
To say satan....they said the adversary.
They knew there was something the opposite of God, but did not have all the revelation we do today.

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

illini1959 said:
Hello and welcome! I'm pretty new, myself.

Many people here have already given thoughtful and relevant scripture.

Sometimes it helps to understand to whom the books of the bible written to or about; the OT is the history, law, prophesy, poetry, etc., regarding Israel and throughout is the promise of the Redeemer/Messiah.

Christ doesn't establish His church - the body of believers - until after His resurrection. We aren't promised (as others have posted) no evil will befall us or that we won't experience pain or suffering. We live in a fallen world - disease, famine, crime, etc., are all going to happen.

This will increase as Christ's return draws closer -

"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." 2 Timothy 3:1

The "prosperity gospel references" you post (and I understand why!) all forget one thing - His will.

John 15:16 says "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you"

Everyone knows the second part of that verse, right? The 'whatever you ask in my name...' part - but - anyone who is bearing fruit isn't going to use God as a vending machine, so to speak. The 'whatever you ask' is going to be within His will - 1 John 3:22 "and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him."

Lastly on this, James says You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4:3)

I hope all of this helps, not my posts particularly, but everyone who's sharing His word rightly divided.

God bless

My point is, bad things are going to happen in this life. Following Christ isn't easy; the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us. But - He equips us. He is with us and will never forsake us. Ephesians 6 tells us how to fight the enemy (it's God's fight - but He tells us how to armor ourselves).
__________________________________

After so many years among prosperity preachers, I am still, even after fleeing their folds for decades, decompressing. Thankfully, I have learned to rightly divide the Word through solid, well grounded teaching. At the same time, I wrestle with growing older. Aches and pains create a temptation to growl at heaven. Why, Lord? I wish it was as easy as some say to apply their methodologies that force God's hand to heal (or whatever), but that's really all they are, a misguided strategy.

farouk · Jun 28, 2019

charity said:
'If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable.'
(1 Corinthians 15:19)

'But now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead.'
(1Corinthians 15:20-21 )

Praise God!

The Resurrection truly does make all the difference!

I'm so struck with the force of 1 Cor. 15.58 in the light of the truths just mentioned in the preceding verses. 'Therefore my beloved brethren...'

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

marks said:
Seems to happen a lot! I've learned, I can't question whether or not someone has had a vision from God, but I can ask, how do we know what is then claimed is true or not?

If someone teaches what an angel told them, I can't know whether it is true or not unless it conforms to what I've already been given, and that I've concluded IS true, the Bible.

Much love!

_____________________________
I don't write of angels appearing, but rather revelation given from within texts. One person, for instance, can read the story of Jael (Judges 4) where she takes a nail and hammer and uses them to kill a man as he sleeps through the temple. One believer might say, dear Lord, how gross, and leave it at that, but another might see within that story a word regarding women coming forth in the last day and use the Word like Solomon wrote in Ecc. 12, as a goad fastened by the masters of assembly.

In other words, women will be coming forth, leaving the old, stale assignments men have given them over centuries, and with God's calling and special anointing, preach to the nations. All of those OT stories have been given to us for correction and instruction, and some men are able to gain a word of instruction from those events. I'm not one of them.

charity · Jun 28, 2019

farouk said:
The Resurrection truly does make all the difference! I'm so struck with the force of 1 Cor. 15.58 in the light of the truths just mentioned in the preceding verses. 'Therefore my beloved brethren...'

'Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain
in the Lord.'
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Amen!

illini1959 · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
My point is, bad things are going to happen in this life. Following Christ isn't easy; the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us. But - He equips us. He is with us and will never forsake us. Ephesians 6 tells us how to fight the enemy (it's God's fight - but He tells us how to armor ourselves).
__________________________________

After so many years among prosperity preachers, I am still, even after fleeing their folds for decades, decompressing. Thankfully, I have learned to rightly divide the Word through solid, well grounded teaching. At the same time, I wrestle with growing older. Aches and pains create a temptation to growl at heaven. Why, Lord? I wish it was as easy as some say to apply their methodologies that force God's hand to heal (or whatever), but that's really all they are, a misguided strategy.

Wow, so glad you got out of that! The things they preach/teach have zero scriptural basis.

I'm right there with you on the growing older...more aches & pains every day! I'm not tempted to growl at heaven, more like I'm ready to go! lol!

A misguided strategy for sure! The bible just never says physical healing is mandatory. God has used plenty of people during illness or even severe injury. Joni Eareckson Tada comes to mind.

We just have to walk closer with God every day - ask for wisdom which He says He'll give us; pray for His peace that surpasses all understanding. Stay grounded, always learning and growing in His word.

One day we'll be rid of these earthly bodies, but in the meantime, He has something for us to do here - there are still so many who are lost. You seem like a very sweet person who's desire is to be obedient to whatever He has for you.

Praying God's blessings for you ~

farouk · Jun 28, 2019

charity said:
'Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain
in the Lord.'
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Amen!

My wife and I were discussing this last night. It's a wonderful verse.

charity · Jun 28, 2019

farouk said:
My wife and I were discussing this last night. It's a wonderful verse.

This was a verse which was set to music and we sang it with the children in Bible Club, it is a wonderfully encouraging verse for each one of us to learn.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

marks said:
And so, Hope in God, how can it be brought about that that we will all speak the same thing?

Much love!

____________________________
There must be agreement. That, I doubt we will se

illini1959 said:
Wow, so glad you got out of that! The things they preach/teach have zero scriptural basis.

I'm right there with you on the growing older...more aches & pains every day! I'm not tempted to growl at heaven, more like I'm ready to go! lol!

A misguided strategy for sure! The bible just never says physical healing is mandatory. God has used plenty of people during illness or even severe injury. Joni Eareckson Tada comes to mind.

We just have to walk closer with God every day - ask for wisdom which He says He'll give us; pray for His peace that surpasses all understanding. Stay grounded, always learning and growing in His word.

One day we'll be rid of these earthly bodies, but in the meantime, He has something for us to do here - there are still so many who are lost. You seem like a very sweet person who's desire is to be obedient to whatever He has for you.

Praying God's blessings for you ~

__________________________________
I was in the mood this morning to listen to some country crooner music, the kind my father always had playing on his radio when I was growing up. Even at night, in his room country music was playing. It's no wonder those are the songs I learned to play on a guitar. Eventually, that led me to playing in honky tonk bars before and after I was saved. This morning I was listening to Eddy Arnold sing a few tunes and was so blessed to hear "It Is No Secret What God Can Do." I felt I was swept into my past for a few minutes -- not because we were a Christian family in a sense that one should be, but because it carried that sound and sense of goodness that is almost totally lost today.

My walk with the Lord began in April 1972, while I was in the Navy, from which I was unconsciously thrust into the prevailing Charismatic ideologies. Today, I wouldn't give them the time of day. Sadly, many of my longtime Christian friends remain entirely wrapped up in those very condemning voices.

I wish at times I was sitting on my Grampap's front porch after a hard day working in his scrap yard. We'd listen to Flatt and Scruggs, the Rhodes Show, Porter Wagoner and the Grand Ole Opry. Such happiness I knew living with him for about a year. He insisted I attend the Baptist church across the railroad tracks from the house because it was time I learned about right and wrong, although I wasn't a bad 13 year old. We'd go hunting later in the evening, walking through the woods, each side bordered by miles of cotton fields. Maybe heaven will be like that, a part of it, at least.

illini1959 · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
____________________________
There must be agreement. That, I doubt we will se

__________________________________
I was in the mood this morning to listen to some country crooner music, the kind my father always had playing on his radio when I was growing up. Even at night, in his room country music was playing. It's no wonder those are the songs I learned to play on a guitar. Eventually, that led me to playing in honky tonk bars before and after I was saved. This morning I was listening to Eddy Arnold sing a few tunes and was so blessed to hear "It Is No Secret What God Can Do." I felt I was swept into my past for a few minutes -- not because we were a Christian family in a sense that one should be, but because it carried that sound and sense of goodness that is almost totally lost today.

My walk with the Lord began in April 1972, while I was in the Navy, from which I was unconsciously thrust into the prevailing Charismatic ideologies. Today, I wouldn't give them the time of day. Sadly, many of my longtime Christian friends remain entirely wrapped up in those very condemning voices.

I wish at times I was sitting on my Grampap's front porch after a hard day working in his scrap yard. We'd listen to Flatt and Scruggs, the Rhodes Show, Porter Wagoner and the Grand Ole Opry. Such happiness I knew living with him for about a year. He insisted I attend the Baptist church across the railroad tracks from the house because it was time I learned about right and wrong, although I wasn't a bad 13 year old. We'd go hunting later in the evening, walking through the woods, each side bordered by miles of cotton fields. Maybe heaven will be like that, a part of it, at least.

My mom used to listen to Eddy Arnold when I was growing up, so of course I heard him too.

My walk began just a couple years before yours, maybe '69/70 I was 10. My dad was in the Navy, too. Korea.

I recently reconnected via Facebook with a guy my family knew many years ago - actually in the 70s. I knew he was a Christian but upon meeting up with him and his wife, found they're on the charasmatic/it's God's will everyone's healed train, too.

I pray God opens their eyes - don't get me wrong - I fully believe they're born again - but I know those beliefs aren't scriptural.

Nice memories you have, there. I live in the house we grew up in, so many memories still around me every day. My dad was a life long agnostic who came to Christ (via an amazing set of circumstances that could've only been orchestrated by God) in his early 70s, 2 years before he passed.

I hope you have a peaceful weekend, remembering good times in the past and looking forward to our time in Heaven (one day).

Hope in God · Jun 28, 2019

illini1959 said:
My mom used to listen to Eddy Arnold when I was growing up, so of course I heard him too.

My walk began just a couple years before yours, maybe '69/70 I was 10. My dad was in the Navy, too. Korea.

I recently reconnected via Facebook with a guy my family knew many years ago - actually in the 70s. I knew he was a Christian but upon meeting up with him and his wife, found they're on the charasmatic/it's God's will everyone's healed train, too. I pray God opens their eyes - don't get me wrong - I fully believe they're born again - but I know those beliefs aren't scriptural.

Nice memories you have, there. I live in the house we grew up in, so many memories still around me every day. My dad was a life long agnostic who came to Christ (via an amazing set of circumstances that could've only been orchestrated by God) in his early 70s, 2 years before he passed.

I hope you have a peaceful weekend, remembering good times in the past and looking forward to our time in Heaven (one day).

_______________
Wow, my Dad died five or six years ago at age 76 from lung cancer (smoker, welder). He too gave his life to the Lord prior to passing away -- something like a week prior, led by a neighborhood friend of his. I never got to know the fellow. He was maybe 20 years older than me and not very approachable. So, the story regarding Dad's conversion I heard not directly from him but from a third party. My Dad was agnostic, sarcastic and looked at anything invisible as a gimmick.

I remain Charismatic, a very well balanced one. Far too much error is being preached in those megagroups, even while there are small Charismatic gatherings where folks can learn the first principles; that is, if they care to be taught. It takes dedication. For me, that lasted for 1.5 years of twice daily sessions six days per week. Sadly, the desire to get well established in the Word within Charismatic groups hardly exists. Rather, they want to hear positive thinking messages or roll around on the floor. Many assemblies have gone the way of the seeker friendly craze.

After listening to many of MacArthur's sermons and having read his book "Strange Fire" I am unable to agree with him on all things or join his camp. I am a continuationist while he is a cesessationist. All gifts of the Holy Spirit remain today, but are guided by the Lord's timing, will and sovereignty. God heals, in His timing. God performs miracles, in His timing.

There is a movement within the Charismatic groups today called the New Apostolic Reformation. They now have schools where they teach students how to prophecy and act as apostles. So much phony baloney. A close Spirit filled friend and pastor looks at most of today's Charismatic nonsense as a present day Babylonian captivity.

amadeus · Jun 28, 2019

Hope in God said:
___________________________________
Many Charismatic pastors believe that all revelation from Scripture has not been uncovered. At times, the Lord will dedicate a certain anointed pastor/teacher to ferret out the hidden manna, the deeper truths. I too believe that so many writers today with huge platforms have so little to say while quiet, hidden men of God have produced volumes of deep revelation with so little exposure. The self-help titles written by shallow minds for shallow readers seem to literally fly off of the Christian bookstore shelves, while deep wells of pure clear revelation remain hidden within the parchments of unexplored authors. It's not an addition to the Word they write but rather a deeper revelation as understood in the words “deep calleth unto deep".

Amen! God uses those who make themselves available. When a preacher or teacher refuses to let anything cause him to change his prepared message, he should realize that it may be God who wants him to make a change.

Soverign Grace · Jul 3, 2019

Hope in God said:
I am new here, so this topic you may have crossed paths with. My apologies.
________________________________
How insistent the following verses seem to be.

Proverbs 12:21, “There shall no evil happen to the just…”

Psalm 91:10, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

Psalm 121:7, “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.”

Have you found these to be true in your life? Has no evil befallen you or illness come to your home?

Consider Paul’s sufferings: “in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (2 Cor. 23-27)

What is the hidden lesson here? Do we admit to the presence of evil in our lives at times or do we ignore, even deny, circumstances as Christian Scientists do?

Within my life, I have known heartache, pain, tragedy, loneliness, disappointment, loss, bad choices, and so much more. What was the cause? Did I not make God my dwelling place? Why was evil allowed to befall me? Why hadn’t God guarded and delivered me?

What if bad things happen to reasonably good people? Has God forsaken them? Punished them? Taken His hedge away?

I'm dealing with the harsh results of someone else's sin and it has caused a lot of suffering so those verses tear at my mind. I don't understand what God is doing but I keep hoping that as Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold by his brothers, and God brought good out of bad, that the same will happen in my situation.

So yes, evil has come to my home. I read that CS Lewis said: "God whispers in our pleasure but shouts in our pain" - meaning that He's trying to get our attention when life hurts. At no other time do we have our ear tuned so much to heaven.

Why evil?

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