It isn’t difficult to see what’s wrong with the world: Nature programmes on TV show us one creature preying on another. We all experience illness and suffering. Natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and famines sometimes cause terrible suffering. Violence, fighting and wars have always been part of human history

Often things seem unfair – evil people seem to have easy lives, whereas those who live good lives sometimes suffer a great deal. There is no doubt that these things are a great difficulty to many people. If God is good and all-powerful how can all these things exist?

God is good and made everything very good at the beginning. But there is a also a personal, powerful being who is evil; the devil or Satan: "An enemy has done this" (Matthew 13:28). The Bible has a lot to say about the devil: "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1). See also John 8:44; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9.

How was the world spoiled so that it became the world we see today?

The answer is given in Genesis: 2:15-17; 3:1-6:

"Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.’
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ And the serpent said, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

There were several effects of human disobedience:

1. Adam and Eve were afraid of God, Genesis 3:8-10.
2. Childbearing became painful for women, v.16.
3. The earth itself was cursed, v.17.
4. Life became a struggle as thorns and thistles made it difficult to grow crops, v.18,19.
5. Human beings became mortal; this meant that disease and suffering would eventually lead to death; though the first death was actually murder (chapter 4), showing that envy and anger had become part of the make-up of human beings.

Firstly, human beings have become selfish, greedy and foolish: As a result there have been wars throughout the centuries that have inflicted enormous sufferings upon millions of people. God intended people to care for the earth as good stewards who would look after it, and use its resources wisely. Instead people selfishly misuse it to get as much benefit as they can for themselves. People even abuse their own bodies in order to get immediate thrills and pleasure.

Secondly, the earth itself is now a disordered and dangerous place. From one point of view this is a judgment of God. From another point of view it is a mercy of God. To be completely contented and happy in a world without God would be a terrible thing. As it is the very world around makes us feel the need for deliverance and protection, and so our need to turn to God.

Why doesn’t God do something about all the suffering in the world?

We might want God to stop a war, or to stop a murder. How far do we want him to interfere in our lives? Would we want him to stop us doing anything we wanted to that was wrong?

We might want God to prevent a famine. Perhaps he wants us to give from what we have to prevent a famine. Many famines are made worse because of cutting down trees, corrupt authorities and war.

In actual fact God probably is at work much more than we think in the world, and in ways that we do not realise. If we want God to do something, how much do we ask him to do this? Are we the sort of people who can honestly ask God to hear our prayers?

What answers are there to the present state of the world?

We cannot arrive at a complete answer, but we can come to know God in a personal way, and our minds can rest, trusting in him.

We know that when people believe in Jesus Christ God begins to change them - their attitudes, desires and ambitions. Changed people change society and change things.

God has promised that one day there will be new heavens and a new earth, but we need to think a little more about ourselves before we consider that.