A L M A C I A S

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING

In Psalms 73, there is a very interesting account of a man of God who was having trouble understanding the way in which God takes care of those who serve Him. He had come to believe that God will always take care of His faithful servants. It was the belief of many that prosperity was a sign of God¹s blessings and suffering was a sign of God¹s displeasure. As this Israelite observed those around him, he noticed that things were apparently going very well for the wicked; and yet for him, who was striving to live an obedient life unto God, things were not going well at all.

What was it that this man had noticed about those around him? That prosperity did not come only to those who were faithful unto God but that prosperity was also enjoyed by those who were wicked and contrary to God. In fact, as far as he was concerned, this almost caused him to fall. He could not understand why the wicked would prosper and the righteous would suffer. He noticed that the wicked not only prospered during their earthly lives but even in their death all seemed well with the world. Have you ever wondered why some of the most wicked people in this world are so wealthy and powerful? Why they even prosper from great health? Things sometimes go so well with the wicked that it even causes us to envy them for what they have. It is true that in many cases the wicked do seem to be living a very happy and healthy life and even seem to have an easy death, while many a righteous man might suffer almost every day of his life and suffer greatly in dying. However, that still does not prove anything.

How can we explain all this when we know that God is all-powerful and all-righteous? What we all need to understand is what the man in Psalm 73 eventually came to understand, and that is that sometimes there is little justice in this world; but even though this may be the case, such will not be true in the world to come. In eternity, God will make all things right. We must all remember that life is like a vapor ­ suddenly it is here and just as suddenly, it vanishes away. But, we will serve God no matter what. Not only will we serve Him when things go well, but we will also serve Him when things go badly. Whatever lot God has given us in this life, we will accept.