Why Evil? (Poem)

A diamond is best displayed against a dark background.

This maximizes the light that the diamond reflects,

And thus reveals the brilliance for which it is renown.

Reflecting light! That is what the dark background rejects!

A seed dropped on the ground is indistinguishable,

But the soil in the ground will ‘bow its knee’

and serve this seed,

Unleashing fruitful generations unknowable.

The relationship between ground-and-seed is thus decreed.

Muscles of the weak and muscle-men are

the same in number.

Think of this the next time you see a skinny fellow!

No doubt, the muscle-men are physically stronger.

It’s from overcoming resistance that muscles grow.

Once, somewhere in Heaven, the first evil ever was found,

Plans for an overwhelming coup d’état were hatched.

Holy angels ensured as God, satan would NoT be crowned.

Then to do its job on earth, evil was dispatched.

‘Deliver us from evil!’-- something we often pray,

God’s answer to which is often misinterpreted.

While we desire its very presence to go away,

He has quite a different plan to be validated.

Like starry suns flung across a dark universe,

God doesn’t expect our light deep darkness to eradicate.

As into His Word and Light our lives we immerse,

At best, some darkness that surrounds us

we may abate.

You see…

God wants to deliver us from evil’s power, not its presence.

So don’t be shocked when evil isn’t incapacitated. ¹ 

Like diamonds, seeds and muscles,

here is the point of great pertinence:

In us, God intends His glory to be activated.

Evil serves as diamonds’ background, seeds’ ground,

and muscles’ resistance.

Without which their brilliance, generations and strength

aren't revealed.

So in your search for deliverance, don’t flinch

at evil’s presence.

Within its ‘Light-less’ presence, reflect God’s glory far afield.

By billions of stars, darkness is never extinguished.

Darkness thus serves to bring the light of stars ‘to light’.

The only time evilness will ever be vanquished,

Is when it is swallowed up in victory’s life. ²

Evil has its designated job to do, I observed:

To reject, not reflect Goodness Light, I attest.

In doing so, it is Goodness that is very well served,

Revealing the resplendent light of righteousness.

Our job in this relationship?? It is active, not passive.

Abhor evil, overwhelm it with goodness, ³

Eschew evil practices, love Light. To this be attentive. ⁴

That evil is serving us, it is clueless!

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¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. (Romans 7:21)

² …Scripture will be fulfilled that says, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory…’ [vanquished forever]. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

³ Romans 12:9 and Romans 12:21

⁴ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to Light, lest his deeds be exposed. (John 3:20)