Will the Wicked Prosper Forever? A meditation on Psalm 94
This is not the way it is supposed to be! Why does it seem like the world is falling apart? God, You declared it very good in the beginning, but it seems very bad now. These are the thoughts that keep running through my mind! My heart is heavy. I am trying to find words to pray as we watch videos of Russia attacking Ukraine. I think about fellow believers in Ukraine and I can’t imagine what they are going through. I think about the people I met when I went there on a mission trip in 2009. I check their Facebook pages to see if they have any updates. I think about a former youth student who is a missionary in Russia. I wonder how this affects his ministry and how he is feeling right now. Does he have the same questions that I do? Is he wondering why it all seems to be falling apart? How are the Russian believers processing all of this?
I am also reflecting on Afghanistan. It seems like so long ago that I was watching the news of the Taliban taking over the country again, but it was only 6 months ago. It amazes me how quickly I have forgotten about all the turmoil there. I wonder how many brothers and sisters in Christ are left in Afghanistan?
Psalm 94 has been a comfort to my soul and a guide in these times of turmoil. I often find myself praying this Psalm. I am reminded that there is nothing new under the sun. God’s people have always felt these struggles in a sinful world.
The last couple of days I have been praying 94:3-7. How long will the wicked celebrate? They are crushing your people, oh God! They even mock you God and say that you must not exist!
It seems like the wicked are prospering. It seems like the godless nations can do what they want. It seems like false gods are winning. I must remind myself that what seems to be true isn’t always true. Look where the Psalmist puts his confidence in the rest of Psalm 94.
14 The Lord will not leave his people
or abandon his heritage,
18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your faithful love will support me, Lord.
19 When I am filled with cares,
your comfort brings me joy.
22 But the Lord is my refuge;
my God is the rock of my protection.
23 He will pay them back for their sins
and destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
What can we do?
Pray – God is in control of everything. Isaiah 45:6-7 tells us there is no other God. He forms light and creates darkness. He makes well-being and creates calamity. He is the Lord who does all things. When we pray, we pour out our heart to an all powerful and sovereign God. We are placing all our cares on Him. We ask Him to bring comfort and joy!
Trust – We must move from bringing our cares to God to trusting in God. He is our refuge and strong hold! We find protection in Him! Pray for your cares and the cares of the world but don’t just pray that the circumstance will go away. Pray for God to work in your heart during the circumstance. I am praying that my fellow brothers and sisters will experience peace that surpasses all understanding. I am praying that they will have patience to endure the suffering. I am praying that God would be glorified in the circumstances. Trust that God is at work in the good and the bad.
Look to the whole story of the Bible – A way to help put everything into perspective is to look at the whole storyline of the Bible. When we read the Bible, we see a God who cares for His people and brings them through circumstances that don’t always seem good in the moment. Verse 9 in the Psalm says, “He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” This reminds me of the opening chapters of Exodus when God calls Moses. He says, he has seen Israel’s affliction, heard their cries, and knows their suffering (Ex. 2:24-5, 3:7). Do you know how this story began? God promises that Israel will be servants of the Egyptians in Genesis 15:13-14. This was told to Abraham years before it happened. Fast forward a couple of generations to Abraham’s great grandson named Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. There was a famine in the land, so his brothers came to Egypt to get grain. Joseph became second in command and revealed himself to his brothers. His family moved to Egypt and when Joseph died, a new Pharoah came to power and enslaved all the people of Israel. We can read the story of Israel’s enslavement and Exodus in 2 hours. There were slaves for 400 years!
We can hear about Ukraine and Afghanistan, and we don’t know how long the suffering will last but we do know that God hears and cares for His children in those countries.
Hold on to His Promises – The Psalm ends by the Psalmist declaring that God will pay back the wicked for their sins. We as well can hold onto the promise that Christ will return. All sin will eventually be wiped out and nations will have peace. We can praise God and look forward to that day. Don’t lose heart! We can move from wondering how long, to, we know you have this God.