Plague and Provision

The philosophical problem labeled Theodicy is usually formulated as follows: "If God is all-powerful, he could create a world with no evil. If God is good, he would create a world with no evil."  There have been a number of approaches to understanding this problem while still maintaining the twin concepts of God's omnipotence and goodness (for example, C. S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain). 

One inadequate approach from a Biblical viewpoint is to deny that God has any responsibility for the presence of evil in the world.  Isaiah 45:7 quotes God as saying, "I form light and create darkness; I make weal and create woe; I the LORD do all these things." (NRSV)

The twin collages below picture God's control over all that we encounter in this world, those things we label as "good" and those we call "bad." We should realize that even the latter may ultimately further God's plans for the world as a whole and for our lives individually. Images from both past and present are intermingled in these pieces to demonstrate the timelessness of this concept.

Plague (2005)

16" c 20"

Provision (2005)

16" x 20"