A Believer Struggles with Doubts (Psalm 73)
Psalm 73 deals with suffering. Many of us, young and old, know something about this subject. Some of us have experienced suffering with respect to our health, both physically and mentally. Some of us have suffered watching close family members struggle with various health issues. Some of us have experienced suffering in having a loved one pass away in difficult circumstances. For many of us, suffering has been an all too real part of our lives. It often leaves us with questions that seem to have no answers.
And it gets complicated when we start comparing our lives with others. Even more complicated when we look at the lives of those who disregard the Lord! We see unbelievers and they seem to have it all together. Those who disregard the Lord the most often seem to have the greatest material prosperity. People in the entertainment industry, for instance, have a high profile and we notice too. We notice that they don’t live in recognition of who God is, but yet they seem to have the best of everything.
When we see this situation – the righteous suffering while the wicked apparently prosper – when we see this, we might be tempted to wonder about who God really is. Is he really good? Does he really care? We might be tempted to doubt what he’s up to in the world. Is he really in control? Are there some things that slip out of his hands? These are the kinds of questions that are at the heart of Psalm 73.
