Why is there so much evil in the world?

All of God’s people experience Him differently.  I often experience the Holy Spirit in a conversation, and recently He led me to start posting some of our conversations.  I speak in italics, and our Lord in bold print. click here to read about how this series came to be.

Why is life so hard here?

The Enemy still has much strength in this world.  Much strength.  It is a constant battle with him.  I am sorry that this is so.  But it will be over soon.  And Satan knows it.  So he is desperate, and angry, and anxious to inflict much pain.  But he still answers to me.  He hates that too.  You see this in many people, this hatred of answering to me.  This is his influence on them.

Why did You give Satan so much power in this world?

I did not grant him this power.  You did.  You and your ancestors before you.  I made a creation utterly unique in all of existence, across all dimensions and in all of history.  A creature that could choose: to follow me, or to not follow me.  To love me, or not.  You chose to go our own way.  Even so, I pursue you still.  Like a father seeking his lost child, like a shepherd pursuing his lost sheep, I am always coming for you, hoping you will return to me, feel how much I miss you and want to be with you.

But you are God.  You can do whatever you want.  I don’t understand.

You are a father.  Is this how you love your children?  Is it loving them to continually exercise your power over them, to seek to control them?  Remember the uniqueness in how I made you – I made you with the ability to choose.  I will not undo the essence of my design.  I choose hearts among those that have rejected me to pursue and pour out special love and attention.  But even those chosen hearts have a choice to make: to love me, or not.  To follow me, or not.

But you know who will love you, and who will not.  You know all things.  You knew from the beginning of time.  You could have changed things then, or even now.  You chose this reality to create and set in motion, over all other possible futures and realities.  You are Lord of all.  This is your right and honor.  But in light of that, has it truly been our choice, or yours from time immemorial?  I do not question you, Father.  I simply seek to understand, and only to the extent you want me to.

Well this is your big question, isn’t it?  Since you were a teenager, this has plagued you and caused you much suffering.  If only you could have trusted me sooner, not been so stubborn to demand understanding.  But now you trust me, so I can give you an answer, as much as you can understand.  I made all things in the universe.  Everything I made has no choice but to live out its design: gravity, stars, planets, lions, tigers, bears, roses, daffodils, mosquitos.  They have no choice.  They live out their design.  Period.  But you are different.  You can choose to live out your design, or oppose it.  To love me, or not.  I longed for a creation that could choose me, love me because it wanted to.  Did you not want to be a father?  To love your children, and have them love you?  To delight them, and have them tell stories about you, to make them laugh, to give them happiness?  I made you in my image, so in your heart you understand this longing.  I wanted to create more than a machine.  I wanted something special.  And you are so very special, so very precious.  This is the best I can explain it.  So you see, I love you.  You are unique in all of creation and all of history.  You are my precious child, and you chose to love me.  Is it not amazing?  And we will be together forever, in a place more beautiful and more full of wonder than you could ever imagine!