My dad passed away on June 29, 1996 — a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. He was only sixty-six years old. It’s human nature to ask the question, “Where was God? If He exists and is all-powerful and loving, why did He allow this tragedy to occur?”
I don’t believe we can know the “why” of these kinds of tragic losses, at least now. I am convinced, however, that there is ultimate purpose to all that happens — and that what God ordains works for the good of His own.
Christian theologian and apologist R.C. Sproul offers the following perspective on God’s providence and the problem of evil. It is a bit lengthy (and brain-stretching!) but is a worthwhile read: “The atheistic philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that if God is all-powerful and also good, then God could not allow a world of evil and suffering. If God is all-powerful but does not stop evil, said Mill, then God is not good. If God is good but does not stop evil, said Mill, then God must not be omnipotent.
“There is, however, a third alternative: God is all-powerful and good, but allows man to be sinful. In Christian terms, evil is defined as the lack of conformity to God’s standard of righteousness and perfection. Evil is, thus, by its very definition a negation of God’s goodness. It is simply the rejection of God, and the cause of all evil events.
“By creating man outside of Himself, God ordained the possibility of this wrong relationship; in other words, God ordained the possibility of evil. Man chose that wrong relationship, in the providence of God, and in this sense God ordained evil. But when God ordains anything, His ultimate purpose is always good. The Bible tells us that all things, even evil things, work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). All things are not good, but all things work together for good in God’s plan.
“In the quest for purpose, we must distinguish between proximate and remote purposes. The proximate refers to that which is close at hand. The remote refers to the distant, far off, ultimate purpose…[The] proximate must always be judged in light of the remote. Our problem is this: We do not yet possess the full light of the remote. We are still looking in a dark mirror. We are not utterly devoid of light. We have enough light to know that God has a good purpose even when we are ignorant of that good purpose.
“It is the good purpose of God that gives the final answer to the appearance of vanity and futility in this world. To trust in the good purpose of God is the very essence of godly faith. This is why no Christian can be an ultimate pessimist. The wicked aims of mice and men that surround and beset us daily may incline us toward pessimism — but only at the level of the proximate.”
I share Dr. Sproul’s perspective and hope you will draw encouragement from that which we can know — in this world we will suffer heartache and loss, but every event, every circumstance is working toward His glory and the good of His people.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28.