God is Uncaring, Failing to Prevent Suffering.
True or False?




“If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He prevent natural disasters and man-made catastrophes from happening? God just doesn’t care.”

When God created the universe He had absolute authority and He was all-powerful. Then plants and animals evolved according to His plan. When the first humans arrived, they were in God’s image - they had souls capable of spirituality. They had consciences and, unlike any animal, they were capable of communing with God. God was all-powerful, wise and caring.

It was when human beings gained the freedom to choose between right and wrong that they acquired some power too. As power was now in the hands of God and in the hands of humans, by definition He was no longer all-powerful. There was scope for conflict and that didn’t take long to come. Satan persuaded man to rebel against God. The peace and tranquility of the metaphorical “Garden of Eden” was shattered as mankind began to do things in its own way and not God’s way. “We don’t need religion. We know best. We can run the world by ourselves without any guidance from God.”



This wasn’t how God planned it


It is very important to remember that power and authority are not the same thing. An elected president has the authority to govern a country, but terrorists within the country may nevertheless cause havoc. Until they are defeated, the president’s power to control events could be seriously diminished.

In nature opposites often go together. Magnets have a north and south pole, batteries have positive and negative terminals and light shines into the dark. Is it surprising then, that the Bible says that there is a force for good and a force for evil? The sad thing is, God often gets the blame when evil gets the upper hand.

 

Opposites go together

The Bible says that the world is in a state of internal conflict, where the good things put in place by God are constantly being undermined by Satan, the devil. God has power and authority. Satan just has power and so does mankind. God has always used His power for good and Satan always uses his for evil. Man has the choice how to use his power. The Bible says that in the end good will triumph over evil and Satan will be banished to hell forever.

Almighty God does not do evil; he is never unjust to anyone.
Job 34,12
It’s not God behind the world’s injustices.
Look further afield for the culprit.

The Bible never describes the devil’s appearance, so perhaps the many fanciful images of a vivid red creature with horns and a tail and holding a pitchfork are the main reason why a lot of Christians choose to believe in God, but ignore the existence of Satan, despite what the Bible says on the matter. Now that he is ignored he can involve himself in all kinds of evil and take immense satisfaction whenever God gets the blame. God is invisible to our human eyes and so is Satan, but the good things God is responsible for and the misery Satan is responsible for are both clearly visible to anyone.


God did this and Satan did that.



Some people say God doesn’t care. On the contrary, He created us, so why wouldn’t He care? The Bible tells us about God's love for humanity :-

God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, “Have many children.”
Genesis 1,27-28
God loves all of Nature, especially human beings.


God offers you comfort; why still reject it?
Job 15,11
How do we feel when someone
rejects our offer of help?

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.
Psalm 34,4
God likes answering prayers.

The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you.
Isaiah 30,19
All we have to do is ask.

I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me.
1 Samuel 10,19
God has feelings too.

Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1,9
God is only a prayer away at all times.

The LORD said, “I was ready to answer my people's prayers, but they did not pray.”
Isaiah 65,1
The thing to remember about God is that although He is very willing to
help, He likes to be asked. He doesn’t impose Himself.


God doesn’t look out for every disaster, every injustice and every crime that’s about to happen and then somehow stop it. How would that work? Would we want to be under surveillance all the time, knowing that if we did anything that could be considered a sin He would immediately intervene in our lives? That’s not how God works.

We are the hands of God in the world. Charities, whether secular or religious based, are doing God’s will. God wants us to love our neighbours, whether they are in our home town, or on the other side of the world. Christianity is 50% faith and 50% action. Believe in Jesus and then go out into the world and follow Jesus’ example. Make a real difference, just like He did.