When you read the world news, it can seem that there is no end to the evil things people do and the lack of respect for other people.
I recently read an article about human trafficking. It was terrible to read about the conditions that human beings have been forced into by evil people who don’t understand the value of life. These evil people have no idea that all people have the same worth in God’s eyes. That the poor person sleeping at the side of the road is just as valuable to Him as the rich person sleeping in the most comfortable bed.
I saw pictures of people in great suffering, people locked up in tiny, filthy rooms. Not one of these people is in control of their own life anymore. They are at the mercy of those who have power over them. And the police and government officials that should help them are often just as corrupt.
The hairs on our heads
It is terrible to see the suffering that people have to go through. But if there is anything I know for sure it’s that God is love. (1 John 4:8.) And God is righteous. (Genesis 18:25.) Even if we don’t understand it with our human mind.
God has a personal love and care for each one of the billions of people on earth. He wants everyone to have it good in life. (Jeremiah 29:11.) Any Christian can tell you that even the hairs on each head are numbered. (Matthew 10:30.) The hairs on a rich man’s head are not more carefully counted than those of the person put in a prison cell or sold into slavery.
It is sin that causes suffering
When I hear about things like human trafficking, I know that it is not God doing this – it is sin. It is people driven by lust for power and money. People who treat others like animals. God does not control any human being; each of their actions is according to their own free will. People give in to their own evil lusts and desires and the result is that very often the innocent suffer. These evil people are being controlled by Satan, and they show very clearly how evil and destructive sin is.
I’m sure God is more heartbroken than any of us when He sees the things happening in this world. I’m sure He’d like to reach out His hand and make it all right. And we know for sure that He will not allow things to go on like this forever. But it is not yet His time.
He has given us His Word, and His own Son, Jesus, to show us how to live without sinning. Through Jesus all sin will be completely overcome. Now, in this time, Satan gets people to follow their own will instead of doing God’s will, but at the final reckoning everyone will see that Satan was totally wrong. So that no one can again try to rise up against God in the same way that Satan did.
And then God will destroy this old earth and create a new one, without any sin. Without all the sorrow that is brought to this earth by those who are controlled by sin. I can’t wait until that time comes. Because in a world without sin, no one would even think of oppressing another person, and misery and suffering won’t even be remembered.