God uses the difficulties of life, even those that are evil in intent and impact, to bring believers to the goal of completion.  As you struggle through the impact of the evil actions of others, you will be led to contemplate the righteousness and truth of God, how obedience to God would have changed the situation.

This combination of words appears to put the Christian on the “horns of a dilemma.”  It seems that you must, “pick your poison”.
To hold to belief in the sovereignty of God seems untenable because God somehow cannot eliminate or control the evil in the world, or, if he is sovereign, he must be choosing to not exercise this power and eliminate evil, in which case, we cannot hold that God is good or loving.  In fact, at this point, some make the case that God becomes the author of evil!  Is this the teaching of scripture?  Let’s start with what is clear:
God is Sovereign
Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…[i]
…and He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “what have you done?”[ii]
The New Testament describes Jesus as
…the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.[iii]
The consistent testimony of scripture presents God as the one who reigns, who is in absolute control, and is not limited by the will or power of any of his creatures.
Evil Exists
The existence of evil is equally clear.  It doesn’t take the life experience of sixty or seventy years to recognize this, just open your newspaper, turn on the evening news, or go to your favorite new-source on the internet.  The results of the fall are everywhere made manifest.  From the moment that Adam and Eve sought to “be like God, knowing good and evil”, all humanity has lived in a state of autonomy.  Instead of bowing the knee to their creator and living according to his moral law, we have sought to set our own moral standards independently of God.
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Talking to God…You would think it would be simple, right?  Yet, we struggle.  We don’t know what to say/ask.  We fall asleep or our minds wander.  We struggle to be discipled to pray every day, much less “without ceasing”!  We are unsure, not knowing if God is listening or if He will hear and answer.  It is good know that the LORD Jesus has given us guidance! 

What is prayer?

 Prayer is talking to God.[i]
 A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.[ii]
Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God, a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him. Prayer to God is like a child’s conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs.[iii]
Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.[iv]

Talking to God…You would think it would be simple, right?  Yet, we struggle.  We don’t know what to say/ask.  We fall asleep or our minds wander.  We struggle to be discipled to pray every day, much less “without ceasing”!  We are unsure, not knowing if God is listening or if He will hear and answer.  It is good know that the LORD Jesus has given us guidance!  Luke records a time when Jesus had been praying…
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”[v]
One of the disciples (who had likely been observing Jesus in prayer) asks Jesus to teach them to pray.  Jesus gives His disciples a guide, we know it as “the LORD’s prayer”.  These verses are not a mantra to repeat or a formulaic address to God that we borrow so that we have the right words.  No, Jesus is answering a request for instruction, he is teaching the disciples “how” to pray.  We might say these short verses give us Jesus’s guide to prayer.  Jesus give us:
A way to address God: “Our Father”
This is followed by five topics or petitions:[vi]

Hallowed by your name.
Your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
Lead us not into temptation.

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