babyblue, thank you for that wonderful and inspiring post. I agree that there is evil influence (Satan) and divine power (God). Then here we are in the middle (Mankind). It is up to us to submit to God and pray daily that his will be done, not ours. Because if we don't then we leave the door open for others to influence us, or for us ourselves to decide what's good and bad. If we tell God to take a hike, then he'll do just that. It is through our conscious, deliberate devotion that his blessings are bestowed.
God is capable of being in control, but does not take the reins unless you invite him to do so. This is why bad things happen to good people and this is why evil men prosper (at least financially, for a while). Everything does not happen for a divine reason; a lot of things are pointless and could have been prevented if people weren't so stupid. But, ultimately... God is the final answer because He is who we will be spending eternity with (supposedly).
