Why God Allows Evil & Suffering
The Lord speaks to and through the prophet Habakkuk to remind His people that…
1. God responds to the honest doubts & fears of His people (1: 1-4) “The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted”…
2. God cares for the eternal life of His people even in His apparent silence regarding evil and darkness (1:5) “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told”…
3. God affirms the biblical truth that the righteous live by faith (2: 4) “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith”…
4. God turns our prayers of burden into worship of His sovereignty (3: 17-19) “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.”
How shall we respond to God when darkness seems to hide His face, when evil or suffering seems to flourish?
-Admit our doubts, worries and fears honestly.
-Talk to Jesus in prayer consistently. Wait patiently on the Lord, meditating on His word.
-As God speaks listen and obey Him. Never run from His word.
