Edited by Jim McCrory, Thursday, 10 July 2025, 06:03
For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth,
to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.
2 Chronicled 16:9
Image generated with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot
The Moral Issue Behind Evil
Why does God allow evil? It’s a question that echoes through time, across cultures and creeds, and finds a voice in every broken heart. But perhaps it's the wrong question. Perhaps we should be asking: What does evil reveal?
Take your teenage son or daughter. At home, they may be polite, devout, and upright. But what about when they’re alone? Or out with friends, away from your watchful eye? Sometimes, only in your absence will their true character emerge. You might never know who they really are unless you could observe them incognito.
And that, perhaps, is how it goes with God.
There’s a verse in Scripture that says, “For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. ” (2 Chronicles 16:9). This is not the surveillance of a tyrant but the quiet attentiveness of a Father; one who chooses, for a time, to allow freedom. Why? Because only in freedom can love and loyalty be real.
We are on a level playing field. There is no visible hand of God reaching into every moment to stop the liar, the thief, or the tyrant. And in that “absence,” something holy is taking place: our loyalty is being tested. Not just yours or mine, but humanity, past, present and future. The same moral test that was once laid before our first parents in Eden still lingers. The serpent’s whisper wasn’t a contest of strength, it was a question of loyalty. “Did God really say…?” was not a call to arms, but a challenge to trust.
It was the same with Job. The accuser didn’t say, “Let’s see who is stronger—God or me.” That’s easy. Strength can be measured in a moment. Arm-wrestle a man and you’ll soon find the stronger one. But say, “I am more loyal, more honest, more faithful than you,” and suddenly the proof takes a lifetime. This is the moral question at the heart of our suffering: Will we remain loyal to a God we cannot always see, touch, or understand?
This is the drama of life—not played out in cosmic battlefields but in quiet acts of courage, hidden faithfulness, and the refusal to betray love even in darkness. The Apostle Paul touched on this when he wrote ” For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope (Romans 8:20). Not by accident or chaos, but by design. This futility, this ache we feel for justice and peace and permanence, is not without purpose. It sharpens the soul. It exposes the heart. And it makes space for faith.
God does not want robotic worship or coerced allegiance. He wants to know, do we love Him even when we don’t see Him? Will we walk the right path when no one is looking? Will we remain true in the desert, not just in the garden?
There will come a time when the hidden things are brought into the light, when the testing ends and the eyes of the Father meet ours again. Until then, we live in the tension—between absence and presence, doubt and faith, struggle and hope. But this life is not without meaning. It is the proving ground of the heart. The battle is not about power—it never was. It is about love. About loyalty.
And love that endures when it would be easier to walk away. that is the kind of love that lasts forever.
The Moral Issue Behind God's Permission of Evil
For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth,
to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.
2 Chronicled 16:9
Image generated with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot
The Moral Issue Behind Evil
Why does God allow evil? It’s a question that echoes through time, across cultures and creeds, and finds a voice in every broken heart. But perhaps it's the wrong question. Perhaps we should be asking: What does evil reveal?
Take your teenage son or daughter. At home, they may be polite, devout, and upright. But what about when they’re alone? Or out with friends, away from your watchful eye? Sometimes, only in your absence will their true character emerge. You might never know who they really are unless you could observe them incognito.
And that, perhaps, is how it goes with God.
There’s a verse in Scripture that says, “For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. ” (2 Chronicles 16:9). This is not the surveillance of a tyrant but the quiet attentiveness of a Father; one who chooses, for a time, to allow freedom. Why? Because only in freedom can love and loyalty be real.
We are on a level playing field. There is no visible hand of God reaching into every moment to stop the liar, the thief, or the tyrant. And in that “absence,” something holy is taking place: our loyalty is being tested. Not just yours or mine, but humanity, past, present and future. The same moral test that was once laid before our first parents in Eden still lingers. The serpent’s whisper wasn’t a contest of strength, it was a question of loyalty. “Did God really say…?” was not a call to arms, but a challenge to trust.
It was the same with Job. The accuser didn’t say, “Let’s see who is stronger—God or me.” That’s easy. Strength can be measured in a moment. Arm-wrestle a man and you’ll soon find the stronger one. But say, “I am more loyal, more honest, more faithful than you,” and suddenly the proof takes a lifetime. This is the moral question at the heart of our suffering: Will we remain loyal to a God we cannot always see, touch, or understand?
This is the drama of life—not played out in cosmic battlefields but in quiet acts of courage, hidden faithfulness, and the refusal to betray love even in darkness. The Apostle Paul touched on this when he wrote ” For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope (Romans 8:20). Not by accident or chaos, but by design. This futility, this ache we feel for justice and peace and permanence, is not without purpose. It sharpens the soul. It exposes the heart. And it makes space for faith.
God does not want robotic worship or coerced allegiance. He wants to know, do we love Him even when we don’t see Him? Will we walk the right path when no one is looking? Will we remain true in the desert, not just in the garden?
There will come a time when the hidden things are brought into the light, when the testing ends and the eyes of the Father meet ours again. Until then, we live in the tension—between absence and presence, doubt and faith, struggle and hope. But this life is not without meaning. It is the proving ground of the heart. The battle is not about power—it never was. It is about love. About loyalty.
And love that endures when it would be easier to walk away. that is the kind of love that lasts forever.
Bible verses from the BSB Bible.