I have often mentioned in my posts that in this world we can expect to have trouble; the Bible tells us so in John 16:33. That may be a bit difficult to accept if you are a perfectionist, an idealist, or someone who has a heightened sense of justice, and does not want to accept that injustice takes place and especially that it frequently goes unpunished. I fit into that category. So I can relate to Asaph, as he laments in Psalm 73 that the wicked seem to prosper. And oh, how unfair that seems!
Asaph was a Levite, from the family of priests, and a musician in the tabernacle. He would have had extensive religious training, and yet even he succumbed to envy. He envied that things seem to go so well for those who were immoral. The old adage that cheaters never prosper is untrue. Cheaters very often prosper, and that made Asaph wonder why he worked so hard to do the right thing. It didn’t seem to be getting him anywhere. Don’t we often feel the same way? We envy those who seem to be happier, who seem to have more luxuries and fewer struggles, who seem to have more friends and fun times. I wonder if their lives look as good from their own points of view, since it is likely that we don’t know all the things they are facing that they keep to themselves.
Thankfully Asaph didn’t write this psalm until he got through his time of doubt. (Psalm 73:15) What turned his thoughts around? He went into God’s temple. (Psalm 73:17) He started to look at things from an eternal perspective. He realized that the struggles we face are temporary in the light of eternity. The wicked may have the advantage now, but doing right in God’s eyes was more important, and would bring its own reward. Asaph realized that his envy was foolish and senseless. And he knew that God was all he needed. God would be there for him when Asaph went through times of weakness. (Psalm 73:25-26)
Who do you turn to when you feel like things aren’t going your way? When you start to envy the advantages of those who don’t follow God’s ways? Do you always turn to a friend or a loved one? Do you ask yet another imperfect person for advice? Try turning to God. You will find that He is enough if you trust Him to be enough. Seek Him first, and everything else will work out. (Matthew 6:33)