This weekend the Nashville area suffered an onslaught of rain that has turned the city into a flood zone. Since I have several on-line acquaintances from that part of the world, the destruction has been up close and personal. I know that the devastation has been repeated throughout our world in different forms, but all those disparate events have the same purpose, to destroy people’s lives. So, I want to use this post to encourage everyone to think clearly and to rely on the absolute love of God.

     Isaiah 5:2o says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” As we look at circumstances that are destructive and bring much pain, we can be tempted to put the ultimate responsibility for them upon God. We say things like “God is sovereign,” “God is in control,” or “God has allowed this to happen.” Underneath all those statements is the concept that God gives destruction His seal of approval. And, if He approves of this destruction, then He uses evil against us. This line of thinking can keep us from accessing the power of God’s absolute love.

     Christ told the rich young ruler who came to him with the words, “Good Master,” that only God is good (Matthew 19:16-22). God is good, period. The apostle James took God’s goodness a step further in his letter:

  “Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone…Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.           James 1:13,17

Or, in other words, God has absolutely nothing to do with evil and everything to do with good.

     I think that through the years, Christians have missed an important concept found in Genesis 1. Verse 2 provides the setting of Creation–the earth was shapeless and empty, and darkness surrounded it. Darkness. Think about it–if darkness covered the site of Creation, was God (who is light) there? If God wasn’t there, what was? Now, read through Genesis 1 and think about the words found after every stage of creation, “And God saw that it was good.”

     I believe the underlying meaning of Genesis 1 is that God went to the place where darkness and evil reigned, and He created a world that was good. Naturally, the forces of darkness wanted to get rid of the light and good, so they came against the human race. Destruction began when Satan lied to Adam and Eve, and it is still raging today.

     In Matthew 21, Christ talked about what the days prior to his return would look like: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no nor ever shall be” (verse 21). I know there has much trouble in our world throughout human history, but the trouble in our world now seems to be multiplying to a much higher degree. Everywhere we look, there is intense trouble or looming trouble. And, this trouble seems to be winning the day.

     This is where understanding God’s absolute love becomes so important. Before the foundations of  the earth were set in place, God had a plan. He knew that darkness and evil would try to defeat light and good, so He planned to beget a Son who would work with Him to destroy the power of evil. Christ did exactly that on the cross (Hebrews 2:14). By knocking down the wall between God and man, Christ set the stage for the last battle between good and evil that would result in His return and in the total victory of good over evil.

     I think we are in throes of this last battle. Daniel 7:21-22 talk about the turning point in the war:

  I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days (God, see verses 13-14) came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to posess the kingdom.

Trouble does seem to be prevailing against us. However, why can’t we be the ones who possess the kingdom? God wants to come to each and every one of us through His Holy Spirit and give us the truth that sets us free, so that we can overcome the forces of evil. His love is absolute–perfect, complete, and real–and we have the opportunity to grab hold of and mainfest that love.

     As many of us are struggling with overwhelming circumstances, let’s press into the absolute love of God and learn how to overcome the evil that swamping our world. God is not a magician, and for the most part, our troubles will not instantaneously disappear. However, He will give us the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom we need to prevail against the force of evil. God is good and His love is absolute. What more could we ask?

 

     All scriptures are taken from the NKJV Bible. Please feel free to comment, just be respectful.

     ©2009-2010 by Patricia Zell. All rights reserved.