When a person goes through what seems like an injustice, or an unfair situation, or perplexing problems, he asks, “Why, Lord, is this happening?” But this question is nothing new.
Asaph, the psalmist, encountered the injustice of life, and writes about it in Psalm 73 several centuries B.C. It is a story of his struggles with envy of the wicked, his doubts, and even his faith in God. He describes the cirsis when he writes, “As for me, my feet almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
Asaph observes this about the wicked; there doesn’t seem to be any constraints on their attitudes and actions. They appear not to have trouble. Their pride and violence are not hidden but are displayed like jewelry. The wicked have concluded that God – if there was a God – was disengaged from people and did not care what people did. So, the wicked are still able to enjoy life, drink their full, live at ease, and do whatever they want without justice or repercussions for their actions.
It’s just not fair.
Watch Asaph’s enlightenment unfold starting in verse 16. “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; THEN I understood their end!”
Asaph rediscovered something he probably knew but had not really thought about. The prosperity of the wicked will not last! Their wealth and their pleasures will have no value in the life after death. The misconception that God is not aware of what man is doing disintegrates when they stand before the fair and just Judge.
Believers need more than the first fifteen verses of Psalm 73 if we want to survive upright in an upside down world. We need to step into verses 16-17. “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me – UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; THEN I understood their end.” We come to the same conclusion Asaph did – the wicked shall perish (to die without hope), and God will destroy those who do evil.
As for believers who go through injustice, or unfair situations, or perplexing problems, remember, God is preparing believers for eternity, and He uses the good, the bad, and the ugly to get us ready. The trials believers go through are necessary and are an indispensable part of preparing us for heaven. God uses trials to test our faith for His eternal purposes; trials purify our motives; they refine our character, strengthen our faith, and prepare us for heaven’s rewards.
But unlike Asaph who almost envied those to be most pitied – those who will face God as their Judge, believers will see God as our heavenly Father who loves His children and welcomes believers into His kingdom. He will sing over us and lavish His love on us for all eternity.
When we understand this, we can stop asking, “Why, Lord, is this happening?” bcause we know why.