"Unfair!"

Scripture Passage

Psalm 50; Psalms 73-74

Scripture Focus

So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
     But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
     and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
                                        (Psalm 73:16-17 NLT)

Observation

Psalm 73 is another one of my favorites. Has been since college, when—as a broke, frustrated, but hungry-for-God college student in the middle of wondering how life could be so unfair—I first read how this psalm addresses the issue of why wicked people seem to prosper while righteous people often continue to struggle.

The answer comes in the presence of God.

So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
     But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
     and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
                                        (Psalm 73:16-17 NLT)

Oh, it’s not a long discourse on the problem of evil. There’s no rebuke about hidden sin that blocks God’s blessings or an absence of faith that hinders answers to prayer. There’s a simple declaration that the picture isn’t finished yet—that the final act has not yet played out.

In the presence of God the psalmist is reminded of “the destiny of the wicked”—and of his own, I’m sure. The psalmist is reminded that the whole story isn’t told until the final curtain closes, and—in that day…on that stage—God will set everything right.

For all we sometimes think we’d trade for what others seem to have, Psalm 73 reminds me that this life is not the whole story…this day cannot shape my full perspective. I must remember, and rehearse as often as necessary, the truth that God will set things right, honor His Word, and bless those eternally who belong to Him!