Where is God?

"O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.

Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,

for you hate all who do evil.

You will destroy those who tell lies.

The LORD detests murderers and deceivers."

Psalm 5:4-6 NLT

Terrorism.  Rape.  Mass murder.  Injustice.  Pornography.  Human trafficking.  Untold suffering.

I often hear people blame God for the state of this world.  "Why would He allow such evil?" they ask.  "If He's such a good God, why doesn't He stop the misery?"  While I can't have all the answers, there is one thing I do know: Evil and darkness are not from Him.

Hate.  As much as my stomach turns when I hear of wickedness on the evening news, God is sickened even more.  While I may have a hard time thinking about the dark acts that are committed in this world, God cannot tolerate these evil deeds.  I dislike what is wrong but He hates it.

Since God, in His righteousness and holiness, cannot stand for such wickedness, I know in His perfect justice, He is on the throne.  He has not fallen slack on the job.  Rather, He has a greater purpose about which I know nothing.  Part of living as His child is to trust Him to take care of me and to avenge those who have been victimized (Romans 12:19).  My job is to overcome evil with God's goodness that is within me.

This sometimes means doing the radical; befriending the enemy, reaching out to those who hurt others, giving to the very ones who take until it drains people dry.  God's love turns the evil on its ear.

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can trust that God hates it more than I do.

Holy.  Righteous.  Perfect.  Far removed from sin.  Sacred.  Intolerate of sin.  God's holiness is hard to fathom.  He is so hallowed and divine that He cannot even look upon sin, let alone take part in it.  He is so pure that He cannot dwell with evil, let alone create it.  In fact, God is so holy that darkness is overcome by His light.  He can take that which is wrong and make it right, that which is meant for evil and use it for good, that which is dark and transform it into light (Romans 8:28,Genesis 50:19-20, Psalm 139:12).

This means I can trust His plan as good.  Even though the world around me is falling apart, heading in the wrong direction and tolerating that which is evil as if it were good, I can believe that God has a plan to deal with this darkness.  In the end, all will be returned to its original pristine condition, and those who have stood firm on the truth of the Gospel will be transformed into the immortal (Revelation 21, 1 Corinthians 15:54).

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can believe that God's holiness cannot tolerate this darkness.

Righteous.  The worst stories are the ones where the guilty get off scott-free, never having to pay for their crime while their victims suffer untold pain.  It's unfair!  In reality, no one ever gets away with anything.  While it may seem that sin is running rampant and that evil prospers, God has a plan to set all things right, in His perfect time.  

You see, even my own sin has not gone unpunished.  The penalty for my sins has been paid fully by Jesus Christ as He died on the cross.  By faith, I have accepted the pardon God freely offers through Christ.  For those who do not fall under the blood of Jesus, however, they must bear the punishment for their own sins when they stand before God and are judged for their own transgressions.  

So, either Jesus bears the weight of sin, or the sinner does.  Either way, justice is served.

When I look at all the evil that is surrounding me I can believe that such a righteous God has brought about justice.

Living in such an evil world, its easy to turn the blame around on God, thinking that since this is His creation, He must have something to do with it.  In reality, God hates the darkness, cannot tolerate it, and has a plan of perfect justice.  Therefore, when I'm tempted to ask, Where is God? I can remember that He is all over it, in it, and throughout it.  God's got it covered!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him deal with the evil around me.

When do I attempt to bring about justice?

How am I hampering God's plan to hand down His perfect justice by getting in the way?