Why Do The Wicked Prosper While The Righteous Suffer?
The Worship I’ll Never Forget
When the Righteous Suffer: A Psalm 73 Reflection
“Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?”
It’s one of the most asked — and most agonizing — questions in the world.
The Worship I’ll Never Forget
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Her hands were lifted high in the air, worshipping God. Not by force. Not for show. But out of surrender. Because of great hope.
I was at a family camp called JH Outback when I witnessed it — a woman praising God just weeks after losing her husband in a tragic rafting accident. He had gone on a retreat with friends, something routine for him. But the raft flipped, his foot got caught on a rock, and he drowned.
Years earlier, they had also lost one of their sons — a Good Samaritan who had stopped on the side of the road to help someone in need. He never made it home.
They were faithful and influential. Generous. Loved in their community and deeply devoted to Jesus.
So why?
How do you understand that kind of pain?
The Turning Point of Psalm 73
Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, wrestled with this very question. He was envious of the arrogant, disturbed that the wicked seemed to thrive while God’s people bled.
“When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply,
till I entered the sanctuary of God…”
(Psalm 73:16–17)
In the presence of God, his perspective shifted. Clarity and hope didn’t come from the world — it came from worship.
Ecclesiastes and the Animal Instinct
I learned this yesterday, and it connected to this morning for me. Ecclesiastes 3:18–19 adds another sobering layer:
“As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both...”
Without God, we respond to suffering just like animals — driven by fear, survival, and environmental instinct. There's no hope in that—just a reaction.
But the believer?
We don’t react by instinct.
We respond by the Spirit.
Galatians 5: Spirit vs Flesh
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”
(Galatians 5:22)
The righteous suffer just like everyone else — but we do not suffer alone, and we do not suffer the same.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to respond to tragedy not with hatred or isolation, but with trust, hope, and endurance. Even during tragedy.
So Why Do the Righteous Suffer?
1. To Draw Us to God
Without suffering, many of us would never turn to Him.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote,
“God whispers in our pleasures, but shouts in our pain.”
“In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11)
And sometimes it takes pain to bring us into that presence.
2. To Keep Us From Self-Reliance
Suffering shatters the illusion of control and invites dependency on the only true Source of life. It reorients us — not just to God, but to community, the other place we’re meant to find His grace.
Job lost everything, and yet he could still say:
“My ears had heard of You,
but now my eyes have seen You.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
(Job 42:5–6)
Suffering didn’t destroy Job — it revealed God.
3. To Reveal God’s Goodness More Clearly
Without darkness, we wouldn’t long for light.
Without hatred, love would lose its depth.
Without loss, the nearness of God wouldn’t taste so sweet.
Final Thought: The Right Hand That Holds Us
“Yet I am always with You;
You hold me by my right hand.”
(Psalm 73:23)
Even confused, Asaph clung to the hand that never let go.
That mother at camp? That was Psalm 73 lived out loud. Her worship wasn’t denial — it was defiant faith. She had entered the sanctuary. She had seen the unseen. And because of that, Undying Hope remained.
Never Finished Challenge: How Will You Respond?
Ask yourself today:
Am I reacting to life like an animal — ruled by fear and circumstances — or responding like a son or daughter of God, led by the Spirit?
Memorize Psalm 73:23–26 this week. Speak it aloud in moments of confusion, exhaustion, or grief.
“Yet I am always with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And earth has nothing I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.”
What Does Today Say About God?
Hope.
I used to chase financial freedom, thinking it would make me happy.
In my ignorance, I imagined that if I had enough, I’d be secure, no matter who rejected me or what storms came. That kind of hope felt like control.
But it was a lie. A fog I only saw through because of Jesus.
Yes, I still desire financial freedom — but now the “why” has changed. I don’t want it for comfort or things. I want it for time. Time to talk about Him. Time to live fully for what matters most.
But here’s the truth:
I am financially free.
You are, too.
Why? Because your Father owns it all, and when you trust Him, He provides according to His will and purpose. So keep working for Him because the world’s watching, but understand He has everything you need.
More than financial provision or any gift this world could offer, the greatest hope we have is what Jesus gave us on the cross. And it is worth everything — even our lives.
“To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
I’m grateful for this great hope. And it’s available for you today, too.
Do you have this hope?
“The righteous suffer just like everyone else — but we do not suffer alone, and we do not suffer the same.” Listening to the voice over I thought this was scripture, but it should be. As I evangelize more and more, unbelievers act like I am trying to sell them something that will completely cure their pain and anxiety forever. It’s vital to communicate that life will not get easier and stay easy. Jesus will guide you through it and reveal what is to be learned and grow from it. Thank you Jesus
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