Everything that happens in God's creation is either directly determined or permissively allowed by Him.
"He... worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).
Furthermore, everything determined or allowed happens within the framework of God's perfect love, wisdom, and power. "As for God, His way is perfect" (II Samuel 22:31). Creation, including all who dwell therein, belongs to the Lord who inexorably works all things according to His "eternal purpose in Christ" (Psalm 24:1; Ephesians 3:11). This we believe, and safely rest our hearts in the harbor of Divine intent and determination.
Nevertheless...
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity... Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man" (Habbakuk 1:13; James 1:13).
Such truth escorts us to the summit of unfathomable mystery. Our Lord is so pristinely pure in His nature, character, and way that He cannot even be tempted to sin, nor in any manner entice others to do so. God nevertheless allows sin to exist, and even uses it to reveal His glory and further the fulfillment of His eternal purpose in Christ (Proverbs 16:4). Indeed, the Lord Jesus who died "by wicked hands" was also delivered to His demise "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). As we gaze upon the panorama of truth from this summit of mystery, we must admit to ourselves that as much as we see, there is far more that we do not see. Some truths that perfectly correlate in the mind of God are irreconcilably contradictory in our thinking. Our best response is simply to bow the head and the heart, acknowledging that God is God, we are not, and that His inexplicable mysteries lead us to confess the vital truth, "Thou art God alone" (Psalm 86:10).
A.W. Tozer once wrote that "we must make room for mystery," reflecting Moses' declaration that "the secret things belong to the Lord our God" (Deuteronomy 29:29). While there is much of God and His truth that we can understand (not perfectly, but adequately), there is much we cannot. We are on a "need to know" basis, as it were, and our Heavenly Father illuminates much of the path, while leaving unnecessary venues dark. Walking with God is not for the curious who seek intellectual titillation, but for the consecrated who seek the Truth that changes us into the spiritual and moral image of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29; emphasis added). Knowledge that accomplishes this holy purpose will always be available and understandable, and this light will fully satisfy our hearts and minds. More importantly, our Lord will be glorified as His goodness is revealed in and through us.
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
(Psalm 112:4)
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