Series Introduction
For the next two weeks, we will be reading the Bible with Dr Nick Hawkes, as he blesses us with “reflections and encouragement from somewhere near the end”.
Reflection: The Prosperity of the Wicked
I was told today that my position in the experimental drug trial that might keep me alive was mistakenly given to someone else. It has upset my local medical team a good deal.
But how have I dealt with it?
I’m very much at peace and know myself to be in God’s hands. That sounds wonderfully pious, doesn’t it? So, ask me the question again in a week’s time. Keep me honest!
There are incredible rewards that come with godliness, but life can also be grossly unjust. Too often, evil thrives, and innocent people suffer. The writer of Psalm 73 understood this injustice. He said that he had almost ‘lost his footing’ because he envied the wicked (vv.2-3). Their bodies were ‘healthy and strong’ (v.4) and they scorned the idea that God could know what they were doing (v.11). The psalmist wonders whether he has kept his heart pure for nothing (v.13).
The whole idea of being a Christian so that you can “get” something is not what motivates me. The wonderful perspective that imminent death gives is that something is going on which is far more significant. And that fact is:
God is… and God is good… and the truth of who God is will ultimately be recognised by everyone (Philippians 2:10-11).
He will triumph over all evil – as the psalmist finally realised.
And that is a huge encouragement.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you that you are my safe place, the one I can always come to when life is cruel. My life is in your hands, and I am content.