From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

This world is not the way God meant it to be. When parents stand by the grave of a child snatched away by accident or illness, this is not the way God meant it to be. When a marriage breaks down or a friendship turns sour, this is not the way God meant it to be. When millions of babies are aborted, this is not the way God meant it to be.

The question of why a loving and all-powerful God allows evil to exist is almost as old as the human race. Theologians and philosophers have grappled with it for centuries without finding a complete answer. Some have concluded God must not care—or even that He doesn’t exist. We live in a random universe, they say, with no rhyme or reason to it.

But for those who have received Christ as Savior, we accept by faith that even in the face of great evil, God is still sovereign, and He is still loving and merciful and compassionate. The Bible speaks of “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, KJV), and that’s what evil is: a mystery. God is real—but so are evil and suffering. They aren’t just an illusion, nor can we banish them by thinking positive thoughts or optimistically telling ourselves everything will be all right. Evil and suffering are real, and we see them everywhere we look. Our headlines scream it; our experience confirms it; our own hearts and minds know it.

If our faith is not rooted in the promises of God—that He will never forsake us—then we will remain in despair, but true faith points us beyond our problems to the hope we have in Christ.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Have you said yes to Christ? Pray now.