“For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.” (Psalm 73:3-5)
Life seems unfair to us because we see only one part of the picture. It appears to us that success often has nothing to do with godliness. Many good people who love God suffer while those who ignore or even hate God seem relatively unaffected by life’s difficulties.
The writer of this psalm struggled with such feelings. He saw arrogant, violent individuals who lived in ease and prosperity (vv.3-12). What he saw even caused him to question the validity of his own faith (v.2). He felt cheated. Why try to live right? It never seemed to pay off in tangible ways (v.13).
But when he finally sat down to write, he wrote about how his attitude had changed. What had happened? He had begun to look at life from a spiritual point of view rather than from a worldly one.
Life will always seem unfair when we measure it by earthly standards of health, wealth and power. But when we encounter God in a personal, intimate way, as the psalmist did in the sanctuary, we can gain a heavenly perspective. We’ll begin to see the other part of the picture. The rewards of this life are temporary and, as a matter of fact, can even hinder us from discovering what is really important.
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