It was too painful for me—until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood. Psalm 73:16-17
The young woman’s face was twisted in agony. “It just isn’t fair!” she cried. “My father robbed me of my childhood. He almost deprived me of any chance of marital happiness. How could God let it happen?”
She was right. It wasn’t fair. Her father had humiliated and abused her from the time she was a little girl. He had mocked her and called her ugly and stupid. She was the victim of a depraved cruelty that had crippled her emotionally for years. Why didn’t God step in and rescue her?
The Lord may not give us the answers we want. He may want us to conclude, as did suffering Job (Job 42:3) and David (Psalm 145:17), that God can be trusted to do what is right.
Part of God’s righteousness is letting a fallen world suffer the consequences of its sinful depravity. Another part is that God offers grace to all who suffer. And when His final judgmentcomes (2 Peter 2:9), abusers and oppressors will get what they deserve.
Are you suffering because of cruel or thoughtless abuse? Don’t let it crush your spirit or make you doubt God. Because He is righteous, you still haven’t seen the final outcome. And He will give mercy and grace to help you through your difficulties.
Now evil prospers, falsehood reigns,
And darkness dims the light;
But soon the day will come when Christ
Returns to set things right. —Sper
We can endure life’s wrongs
because we know that God is right.
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, 12 to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.
Insight
The positioning of this particular psalm in the book of Psalms is intriguing. David launches into a celebration of the grace, mercy, and compassion of the living God (v.8), and that celebration becomes a preface for the next five psalms—all of which begin with the phrase “Praise the Lord!” The reasons for praising Him? His love and care (Psalm 146), His restoration of Jerusalem (Psalm 147), His power expressed in creation (Psalm 148), His justice (Psalm 149), and His greatness (Psalm 150). Those are good reasons to praise the Lord!
