From John Piper's Spectacular Sins:
" When you are tempted to forsake God because of the greatness of evil and misery in the world, may you remember the bible has prepared us for this temptation. It has shown us over and over that sin and sickness and disaster never escape the good governance of the infinitely wise God. Whether it is Satan or Adam or joseph or Judas, the great divine dictum holds: "You meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).
The mosr spectacular sins are not signs of ultimate absurdity. Satan is the ultimately irrational being. And much of what he is allowed to do will have the mark of senselessness to it. .... there is another vantage point. Namely, God's: Yes, senseless at one level, but not ultimately.
Far, far above thy thought,
His counsel shall appear,
When fully He the work hath wrought,
That caused thy needless fear. ("Give to the Winds Thy Fears", Paul Gerhardt)
The Bible does not say that perseverance in faith through the horrors of sin and misery will be easy. That is why it says, "The one who conquers" will not be hurt by the second death. The first death, yes, and it may be horrible. But not the second (Rev. 2:10-11). Maintaining the joy of faith in the face of horrific evil does not happen by coasting. It happens by conquering. That is my aim. That you would conquer unbelief and despair in the face of spectacular sin and misery."
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