2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Why does God allow bad things to happen in the world, and to good people? Why doesn’t He just stop it? This question was one of the things that I grappled with when considering the existence of a God. As a former atheist, I use to justify my belief that He did not exist because the world is chaotic and evil. In my simple mind, I considered that if I had been God I would not have allowed such evil. How blind I was, but now I see.
Humans were made in the image of God. He values us greatly and loves us. Because of His love, He shows great patience with us even when we make the wrong choice in the hope that we will repent and turn to Him.
Put another way, like a father or mother loves their child. They know that their child will say horribly mean things and make bad choices, but the parents try to guide the child to what is best and good for them without trying to control their every movement. It would be neither enjoyable for the child or the parent to control their every movement and nor would it lead the child to love and respect their parent.
The love that the parents feel for their child is not taken away just because the child makes mistakes or bad choices. Even in the most heinous of crimes, the relationship will be broken, perhaps irreparably, but the love remains. God, like a father, patiently works on our hearts. Many reject Him, revile Him as the bad one, and then choose to live a life full of darkness and deceit. Eventually, when the time comes for them to pass from this life into the next, the hope of a relationship has passed and the Father will look at them and say they aren’t a child of His because they are nothing like Him and never wanted anything to do with Him. The door to the wedding party will be closed to them as they will be like those who took no oil.
While we are still here, we must spread the good news to those who live in darkness because there is hope. The Lord is patient, He is loving, and He wants us to open the door. Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.”