Why does God allow evil things to happen?

Yes, I know it’s not Sunday, but, I felt that I had to do this blog post today. Just like most of the nation, the Connecticut shootings have been heavy on my mind. I wonder how God could allow a man to gun down so many innocent children? I’ve been teary-eyed, trying to make sense of this tragedy – trying to understand why this couldn’t be stopped.

I wondered, when the shooter had arrived at the school in his vehicle, about to exit his car to go into the school to do this horrific deed… why couldn’t God have sent his angels to surround the car? The angels could’ve blocked the shooter, not allowing him to exit the car and shoot those innocent children?

As most of my blog readers know, I’m a Christian, but, sometimes, especially times like now, my faith is weak. Yes, I have weak faith, about as much faith as a mustard seed as I struggle to understand the happenings in the cold, cruel world.

In the Bible, there were times when innocent children were put to death. In Exodus, Chapter One, the new king was concerned that the Hebrews were multiplying so fast that they would soon gain power over the Egyptians – possibly overpowering them in the event of war:

Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

When I first read about this as a child, I thought, sadly, about all of those babies that had been thrown into the Nile to drown! How could God allow such things to happen?

Also in the New Testament, King Herod ordered the death of all male children who were two and under in Bethlehem, attempting to destroy Jesus:

Matthew 2:16-18

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

I think about all of those babies…dead. Why didn’t the Lord do something to save them?

So, why do you think God lets evil things happen on this earth? This is a rhetorical question. I doubt anybody could answer this question in a way that would make those suffering to feel better. I suppose, some of the questions we have for Jesus won’t be answered until we meet Him in heaven.

~Cecelia Dowdy~