Through The Bible in a Year - January 27, 2026

"The Lord is...patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." – 2 Peter 3:9

People constantly ask: "If God is sovereign and good, why does He allow all this evil? Why doesn't He just wipe it out?"

The biblical answer? Been there, done that. That was the flood.

There was so much evil and God destroyed the evil by the flood. And at the end of the flood, God said, "Never again will I destroy the world by flood." Instead, the way things are now where evil persists through people like us, God has to be very patient. Jesus told a parable about wheat and weeds growing together until harvest. The servant asked, "Should we pull up the weeds?" The master says, "No—if you pull up the weeds, you'll uproot the wheat too. Let them grow together until harvest."

If God destroyed all evil in this moment, not one of us would be here. Our ability to reach others with the gospel would disappear. God is so patient that He's waiting for the harvest—allowing the weeds to continue so the wheat can be gathered in His time as He knows is best..

This is amazing patience. God is allowing time for nations, people, families, and our own sinful souls to claim Jesus Christ before the final judgment. The weeds won't be destroyed by flood next time—they'll be destroyed by fire. But until then, God is gathering His harvest - people like you and me. Sinful though we are, He uses us to tell His gospel to others – sinful though they be. He’ll do this until He has the harvest that is full as He knows is best.

Respond: Who in your life needs God's patience right now? Who seems so far from God that you've almost given up hope? Remember: God is patient, not willing that any should perish. Keep praying. Keep witnessing. Trust His timing for those that He is calling to Himself.

Prayer: Patient Father, thank You for not giving up on me when I was far from You. Thank You for waiting, pursuing, drawing me to Yourself. Give me patience with others who don't yet know You and who haven’t yet responded to your call. Help me trust Your timing as You gather Your harvest as you know is best in the timing that you know is best. Thank you for such patience. Help me to be patient too.. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.