Providence - Part 3

Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? Lamentations 3:37-38

I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things." Isaiah 45:5-7

In some Christian circles, especially within the televangelism community, dualism between God and Satan is often espoused...the belief that God and Satan are equal in power, constantly "duking it out" to gain the upper hand in the affairs of creation. I suppose it might be more palatable for some to believe that Satan is responsible for our evil and suffering, but this is clearly not what Scripture teaches. We must bear in mind that Satan is a created being, so he also falls under God's sovereign rule. Evil ultimately comes from the hand of God. but there is no tension between God's sovereignty and his holiness and goodness. Though He is not the author of sin, the Lord does allow wickedness to accomplish His will in the affairs of men. As Christians, we will not always see the outcome of evil in our lives, but if we honor Him through those circumstances, God will use us to be light in a dark world. Obviously, this is not easy to do; we need the power of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of our minds with the Word to be able to confidently take up our cross and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. He promises to never give us more than we can bear (I Cor. 10:13).