Lots of people look at this problem and come up with the solution as “if God is good but evil exists then obviously God is not powerful enough to stop it.” Or “God is powerful enough to stop all evil but He is not good enough to do so.” Both of these positions are slanderous statements to make about God. The Bible makes it clear that God is good. For example Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

Likewise the Bible is clear about the fact that God is Almighty. The very first verse of the Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Many times the Lord God is called the Almighty.

So we know that God is both good and powerful. So why doesn’t He stop all the bad things from happening? But before we look at this question, I want to ask you one. What “bad” things do you want stopped? Only the really big bad stuff, like crime, war, famine and so on, or “all” bad things? If you answer “some” of the bad things, you don’t know how much God has stopped already. If you answer “all” bad things, how about things like teasing your brother or sister? Or playing a very funny practical joke on someone? Usually what constitutes being bad depends upon your perspective of the event or action.

So why doesn’t God stop bad things from happening. I don’t know exactly, but I do know this, God is good. Everything He does is good. He uses everything that happens in the life of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for their good (Romans 8:28). Since Adam and Eve disobeyed, sin has marred this earth and mankind. Many of the bad things that happen in this world people like you and I are responsible for. This means that you and I have opportunity to stop much of what is bad in this world. Wars and murders and other such things are obvious, but so too are some of the “natural” disaster that happen. Mudslides that wipe out whole villages often are the result of cutting down all of the trees on the hillside. Famines are the result of greedy and power hungry men who will not share the food that is produced in this world. There is enough food produced in this world to feed everyone on the planet. It is only greed and selfishness that prevents that from happening.

I believe that disasters both man made and natural are allowed by God as a wake up call to us. They remind us of the fragility of life and of our need to turn and trust God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God is good and that He has a reason for letting disaster happen in my life and in the life of this world. I don’t know exactly what I will learn from these bad things, but I know that God loves me and I will benefit through the experience even if I don’t appreciate it.

Two booklets related to this subject that I recommend you read are:

John Blanchard “Where was God on September 11”

John Dickson “If I were God I would end all the pain