By Morris Wambua

We live in depressing times.

We’re constantly bombarded by news of violence, injustice, and human suffering, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

We find ourselves asking the same questions that have been asked for centuries: Where is justice? Why does evil persist? Is there a moral framework that can guide us through the chaos?

These questions, though timeless, seem especially pressing today. The modern world, with its technology and progress, was supposed to make life easier, more equitable, and more just. And yet, the daily headlines—filled with stories of systemic oppression, violent crime, and global suffering—force us to confront the uncomfortable truth that evil still walks among us.

As we grapple with these issues, we are often led to deeper reflections about justice, morality, and the presence of God in our lives.

In this exploration, we’ll examine these moral dilemmas through the lens of ancient wisdom, particularly that of the prophet Habakkuk, whose cry for justice thousands of years ago still resonates with us today. We’ll also look at the ways in which modern secularism and psychiatry sometimes sidesteps these hard questions, and how, ultimately, the presence of God provides the only true foundation for a coherent moral framework.

Justice: The Moral Foundation of Society

Justice is not just a legal principle or a set of rules enforced by courts. It’s much more than that—it’s the ethical heartbeat of a functioning society.

Without justice, the very fabric of a community begins to unravel.

Trust erodes, and hope fades.

In its simplest form, justice is about ensuring that people are treated fairly and that wrongs are made right. But in practice, it’s not always so straightforward.

The prophet Micah distilled the essence of moral living into three simple yet powerful acts: "To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

These principles are not just religious sentiments but they are essential for the health and survival of any society.

Sadly, as we look around us today, we see countless examples of injustice, from corruption in government to inequality in healthcare and education, to racial and economic disparities that harm millions.

When justice falters, the impact is devastating—not just on individuals but on entire communities.

When people lose faith in the systems meant to protect them, it breeds anger, frustration, and despair. This is what Habakkuk saw in his time.

His society, much like ours today, was riddled with corruption, violence, and oppression.

In his writings, he lamented, "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?" (Habakkuk 1:3). It’s a cry that echoes through the centuries and speaks directly to our current experience.

And it’s not just ancient prophets like Habakkuk who recognized this truth. History is full of examples that illustrate what happens when justice breaks down.

Civilizations crumble when they ignore the importance of fairness and equity. Consider the fall of the Roman Empire, which became increasingly unjust and corrupt before its collapse. Or more recent examples, like the civil unrest we’ve seen across the globe in response to police brutality or government oppression.

When justice is absent, a society begins to rot from the inside out.

Justice doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It must be anchored in something beyond mere human opinion.

This is where modern society often falters.

In our increasingly secular world, we’ve lost the sense of an objective moral standard—a transcendent truth that defines right and wrong. And without this anchor, justice becomes fluid, shaped by personal preferences or shifting cultural trends.

The Persistence of Evil: A Problem We Can’t Ignore

Another profound question that plagues our moral landscape is the persistence of evil.

We see it everywhere: in the atrocities of war, in the cruelty of human trafficking, in the senseless violence of mass shootings. But even closer to home, we see it in the everyday acts of selfishness, cruelty, and indifference that surround us.

The existence of evil is not a new problem.

It’s one that theologians and philosophers have debated for millennia.

If God is good and just, why does evil persist?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do the wicked seem to prosper?

Habakkuk struggled with these same questions."How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?" (Habakkuk 1:2).

He was deeply troubled by the presence of evil in the world and the seeming silence of God in
the face of it. And his questions are still our questions today.

One of the challenges in addressing the problem of evil in our modern world is that we’ve often redefined it.

In our scientific age, evil is frequently reduced to a psychological or sociological issue.

Psychiatry, for example, tends to avoid labeling people or actions as "evil." Instead, behavior is often diagnosed as a disorder, a result of trauma, or a failure of socialization.

While these explanations have merit and are undoubtedly useful, they don’t fully capture the moral dimension of human actions.

There is a growing reluctance in our culture to make moral judgments, to say that something is not just wrong but deeply, profoundly evil. We hesitate to label acts of terrorism, genocide, or child abuse as evil because it feels too black-and-white in a world that values nuance and shades of gray.

Yet, by avoiding this language, we risk losing our ability to confront and combat evil effectively.

Evil, at its core, is a moral reality. It’s not just the absence of good; it’s an active force that works against goodness, justice, and mercy. And if we fail to name it for what it is, we end up allowing it to
flourish unchecked.

By reframing evil as a clinical or social issue, we may avoid the discomfort of making moral judgments, but we also lose the urgency to confront and eradicate it.

The real danger of diluting the concept of evil is that it weakens our pursuit of justice.

How can we fight something we refuse to acknowledge?

How can we seek justice if we don’t first recognize the injustice caused by evil actions?

This is why the presence of a clear moral compass is so critical in the fight against both individual and systemic evil.

The Presence of God: The Anchor of Moral Clarity

In the face of these profound moral challenges, where can we find a stable foundation?

How do we ground our pursuit of justice and our fight against evil in something that doesn’t shift with cultural trends or personal preferences?

For Habakkuk, and for many people of faith today, the answer is found in the presence of God.

"The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him" (Habakkuk 2:20).

This simple yet profound statement points us to a truth that often gets lost in the noise of our busy lives: God is real, and His presence is what gives meaning to our moral questions.

Without God, our moral reasoning collapses into subjectivity.

Without a transcendent standard, justice becomes nothing more than a social construct, and evil becomes an outdated label.

It’s the existence of a higher power—of a God who is both just and merciful—that makes our moral reasoning possible.

Secularism often claims that human reasoning alone is enough to solve the world’s problems. But history has shown that pure logic, without a moral anchor, can lead to some of the greatest atrocities.

Think of the Nazi regime or the atrocities committed under Stalin’s rule. Both were rooted in ideologies that relied heavily on human reasoning but were devoid of a transcendent moral standard.

The result was mass murder on an unprecedented scale.

By contrast, societies that have emphasized moral reasoning—reasoning grounded in an understanding of right and wrong that transcends human logic—have fared much better. Consider the influence of Christianity on the development of Western law and human rights.

The abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, and the fight for social justice have all been deeply informed by a belief in a higher moral law—one that comes from God and is written on the hearts of all people.

This is not to say that people of faith are immune to injustice or evil.

Far from it. But the presence of a transcendent moral standard offers a foundation for confronting and correcting these wrongs. It provides a compass that points us toward justice, even when the path is difficult or unpopular.

A God Who Is Near, Not Distant

One of the most comforting aspects of the Christian faith is the belief that God is not distant or disengaged from the world.

He’s not a passive observer who watches us from afar while we struggle with life’s challenges. Instead, He is actively involved in the lives of His people.

This is a crucial distinction between deism—the belief that God created the world and then left it to run on its own—and the Christian understanding of God as a loving Father who cares deeply about His creation.

In moments of hardship, it can be easy to feel as though God is far away, or that He has abandoned us. But the Bible paints a different picture.

It speaks of a God who is intimately involved in the details of our lives, guiding us, protecting us, and offering us comfort, even when we are unaware of His presence.

There are countless stories of divine intervention—moments when God stepped in to save, heal, or provide, often in ways that seemed miraculous.

Think about the story of someone narrowly escaping a tragic accident, or the tale of a young child surviving against all odds after a medical crisis.

These are not mere coincidences.

For many people of faith, they are clear signs of God’s hand at work. And yet, God’s presence isn’t always so obvious.

More often than not, His work in our lives goes unnoticed.

We may be too distracted by the chaos around us to see His subtle guidance. But that doesn’t
mean He’s not there. It simply means that we need to cultivate a sense of awareness—a spiritual sensitivity that allows us to recognize God’s presence, even in the midst of life’s noise.

Trusting in a Bigger Picture

Perhaps the hardest part of grappling with issues like justice, evil, and suffering is that we can’t always see the bigger picture.

We live in the moment, and when that moment is filled with pain, confusion, or injustice, it’s easy to lose hope. But Habakkuk reminds us that God’s perspective is far greater than our own.

At the end of his book, Habakkuk comes to a place of trust.

Even though the world around him seemed to be falling apart—crops failing, livestock dying, the economy in shambles—he chose to trust in God’s plan.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines... yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

This kind of faith is not easy.

It requires us to trust that God sees the whole picture, even when we can’t. It means believing
that He is working for our good, even when everything around us suggests otherwise. But it is this trust that allows us to endure hardship, to seek justice in an unjust world, and to hold onto hope when everything seems lost.

Conclusion: A Call to Trust and Action

In a world filled with injustice, evil, and suffering, the questions that plagued Habakkuk are the same ones we wrestle with today.

Where is justice?

Why does evil persist?

How can we find hope in the midst of chaos?

The answers to these questions are not simple, nor are they always immediately comforting, but they point us toward a deeper truth: that justice, evil, and the presence of God are not abstract concepts.

They are central to how we live and understand the world around us.

Without God, our pursuit of justice loses its foundation.

Without a recognition of evil, our efforts to combat wrongdoing are weakened. And without a trust in God’s active presence, we miss out on the deep peace and purpose that comes from knowing that He is with us, guiding us, even in the darkest moments.

The message of Habakkuk, and the message of the Bible as a whole, is one of hope. It’s a call to trust in a God who is both just and merciful, a God who sees our pain and suffering and is working to
bring about ultimate justice. And it’s a reminder that we are not alone in this struggle.

God is with us—now and always—and in that truth, we can find the strength to keep fighting for justice, to stand against evil, and to hold onto hope, no matter what the world throws our way.