No, Lord

One of the biggest arguments ("Biggest" in the sense of "most common" or "most difficult.") against God is the problem of evil. Apparently, God is either not all powerful -- He can't stop evil -- or He's not all-loving -- He doesn't intend to stop evil. It's fascinating because ... it's so arrogant. We believe that God is just like us, and if He is powerful and loving, He should do what we think He should do. Scripture is abundantly clear that He's not like us, but ... "Hey ... don't bother me with facts; I know I'm right."

Our problem is that we unknowingly approach the "Most High" with the proposition that we are the Most High. We know best. And if He doesn't see that and submit ... He's just not there. The true approach to God should be, "Whatever you say, Lord." But, like Peter's oxymoron, "No, Lord" (Acts 10:14), we stand in His face and correct Him. "You shouldn't have done that to me." Job said, "YHWH gave, and YHWH has taken away; blessed be the name of YHWH" (Job 1:21), a position that begins with God being right. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego told Nebuchadnezzar that God could save them, but it didn't matter if He did (Dan 3:16-18), a position that begins with God being right. Joseph told his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20), a position that begins with God being right.

It's a dangerous thing to answer back to God. It's a foolish thing to think we know better. Even humans can understand that painful things can be good. We vaccinate children, causing temporary pain, knowing that it will make them safer, for instance. We know "No pain, no gain." So why do we assume that we know more than the Almighty regarding good and right and the future? It's not a safe or rational position to take. We should probably take a step back from such foolishness and start with, "Yes, Lord."