John is a professional in the work a day world.  He spends much of his time speaking with clients and colleagues about the business concerns of the day, listening and solving problems.  John has a family he loves and church friends in whom he invests and enjoys.  From outward appearance, Johns everyday life looks and feels quite normal. 

However, under the surface John feels an emptiness that haunts him…

The second generation of wilderness Hebrews have looked on their circumstances and decided it does not meet their expectations. They look at their redemption from Egypt and see a rouse that will lead them to a death by starvation and thirst. How could a good God bring us to this awful place?

Is God in control?  In a sense yes, but it is not a control like is commonly assumed.  It is not as though God has a game box controller that pilots us like a video game.  God is in control, but perhaps a better way to say it is that God is in command.  When tragedy comes and we scream and ask the question, does God see?  Isn’t He in control?  The common answer is, Yes - but this is a wholly inadequate and incomplete answer when facing tragedy. 

So when Habakkuk sees the evil going on inside the city walls, and the evil preparing for attack outside the city walls, he asks a valuable and important million dollar question, "God, where are you?". It is an honest question. It is a pertinent question. And it ranks among the preeminent questions human beings ask the Almighty.

Augustine maintained that all creation is inherently good (omnia bona) because it proceeds from a perfectly good Creator (Confessions VII.12; City of God XI.21). Evil, therefore, has no ontological status; it is a defect, like blindness in an eye or rust on iron.

Although Augustine ultimately rejected Manichaean dualism, its influence lingered in his language, psychology, and metaphysics for years. This essay traces that influence across his career, showing how he gradually replaced a cosmic conflict of substances with a Christian doctrine of evil as privatio boni (privation of good), original sin, and divine grace. The analysis draws on Augustine’s own reflections in his Retractationes (Reconsiderations), where he critiques and corrects his earlier statements.

From the Intimate Struggles of Confessions to the Cosmic Drama of The City of God

Augustine of Hippo (354–430 CE) wrestled with the problem of evil more persistently and profoundly than many thinkers in the Christian tradition. His theodicy, the effort to reconcile evil’s existence with God’s goodness and omnipotence, did not emerge fully formed but developed across decades of intellectual, spiritual, and personal upheaval.

Christ in the garden, trusting and moving forward despite the trial ahead - adds metric tons of value to Christ's humanity. Like us, Christ faces the catastrophe in trust and endures despite the trial. Christ didnt volunteer for the cross. The cross found him. And when presented with it, Jesus trusted and moved forward.

In Genesis 3:5 there is a deceptive truth spoken from a liar to the ears and hearts of ones who were willing to listen and act on the information. A statement that, while true, tickled the curiosity and rationale of a couple that were intrigued by the idea of being like their Creator.

“For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5).

It is a foregone conclusion that suffering gets a bad wrap. Why wouldn't it? Nobody likes suffering. It is by definition a bad thing. There is low-grade suffering like, "Darn, I missed the bus." There is average suffering like "That didn't go as expected." And then there is tragic suffering that occurs because of paradigm altering catastrophe or loss.

The Bible’s answers to difficult questions is going to ask us as believers to make two commitments.

You will notice that the book of Habakkuk has similarities to the book of Job. In fact, I believe it would be accurate to say that Habakkuk is a mini-Job book…

Next, we see God’s provision and avenue of rescue from the suffering and brokenness of this world. God tells Moses to construct the bronze serpent and gives instruction to trust as the avenue out of their current state. The application is striking…

A point of application is we see the difference between complaining to God and complaining about God. Scripture is loaded with instances when believers complain to God about circumstances. Indeed, entire books of the Old Testament are dedicated to the exploration of tough questions related to God's sovereignty in the valleys of life.

Jesus continues by helping us to see His role in our redemption is not condemnation, rather the inference is that our fallen nature already accomplishes this…

If there is a negative force that is causing bad things to happen, and this results in a void, or shadow over what is right in God’s good creation then we are saying God’s sovereignty is voluntarily limited and truncated by events that do not go as He planned.

"Why!?" is a perfectly valid question for Habakkuk to ask. It demonstrates that he cannot reconcile bad events with a good God. Wrestling with the problem of evil is common among those who experience it's destruction. If God is good, why does tragedy happen? If God is good, why does evil win? How can I look at the mess around me and conclude that God is in control, much less cares?

Captain Ahab is a man obsessed with the thing, the White Whale, that changed his life.  The White Whale is his nemesis, an uncontrollable element of life that has left him lame and threatened his reality.  Now Ahab is intent on destroying the thing that has broken him.  Ahab's life was that of a whaler, sea captain and successful merchant.  Now he is uprooted, physically changed, and the dominance he felt over his life’s direction is torn and changed by the will and force of an outside entity with a mind of its own.  The White Whale intends to destroy Ahab and has the power to do so. (Job 41:10)

There are seasons of life when the big questions come to mind and trouble our faith. We read about tragedy in the news every other day, hear of friends or loved ones experiencing life changing circumstances, and read the deeply heartfelt laments found in scripture. When life appears under control, these hard events are mournful and draw our sympathy. When life is a struggle, we join the laments in concert and through the tears and confusion ask God for answers. Difficult circumstances can lead us to a place where we throw the gauntlet at the foot of the throne and ask God million dollar questions.