When the Wicked Prosper and God Seems Far Away {Psalm 10}

What should our response be when we look at our culture that is out of control, we see the wicked prospering and God seems far away? #Biblestudy #psalms #WomensBibleStudy #GoodMorningGirls

Do you find yourself troubled by the direction of our world?

Turning on the news these days is a painful experience. Watching the oppression of women, children, the poor, racial tensions, and persecution of Christians around the world, is enough to make us all sit back and say: “God, where are you?”

The corruption I see in our government mixed with the required political correctness in the media, suppresses truth and makes my heart hurt.

A reader wrote me and asked,

“How do we live with joy when all this is in our face and growing? How do we not feel angry and scared? Yes, Jesus is our hope but that does not stop the madness all around us. It affects me. I wondered if I should not watch the news at all. How do you do it? How do you not fear the country our children are growing up in being a total mess for their children.”

Here is part of my email back to her:

We used to watch the nightly national news for about 1-2 hours every night. You know – the talk shows where they break all of this down…This was my husband and I’s “entertainment”…but we can’t watch anymore. It is so incredibly upsetting.

We still watch from time to time but not nightly or habitually as we once did. We just can’t fill our minds with it, without being discouraged and fearful. So we keep our mind stayed on Christ and entertain ourselves with other things!

We still need to be informed and I do that mostly through the internet now…and then stay in God’s word and live it out for the sake of our children. I want them to see brave, strong parents who in the face of opposition and darkness,  shine like lights boldly, fearlessly and with exceeding joy.

Fight for joy – do not let the darkness envelope you. This world is not our home – we are just passing through and there are so many in the world whose circumstances are a gazillion times worse – so while we stand for what is right and true – we have cause for joy in the safety we have for now.

Pray for our country and the safety of our children and grandchildren and leave it in the hands of a loving God who is worthy of all trust and the giver of peace.

If you are lacking peace – ask God for it. That is a fruit of the Spirit – as a believer he wants you to have it. He wants you to have joy. Pursue it and guard your mind – be strong mentally – do not let runaway thoughts, bring you down.”

And this brings me to today’s Good Morning Girls reading in Psalm 10.  David asked:

Why, O Lord, do you stand afar off?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In the midst of David’s grief and distress over the rampant multiplication of evil…

David prays.

And we should too.

In David’s prayer, he lists:

The 5 Marks of the Wicked:

1.) They are proud. (v.2,3,4,6)

2.) They are foul mouthed and full of cursing. (v. 3,7)

3.) They are greedy. (v.3,9)

4.) They are violent. (v. 8-10)

5.) They are godless. (v. 4,11)

David says of the wicked, in verses 4 and 13:

“all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

The wicked renounces God and “says in his heart, “You will not call to account.”

The wicked cannot escape the thoughts that there IS a God – so over and over they have to tell themselves – there is no God and there is no one to answer to. But they know – from their conscience and creation – there is a God.

As a matter of fact, in verse 11 the wicked says:

“…in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

We see the inner battle of the existence of God and the suppressing of the truth.  It is a constant effort – they have to keep saying in their heart and mind over and over – there is no God.

And so when it seems that the wicked are prospering and God is far away, do as David did and go to God in prayer.

It is hard to pray when the wicked are prospering. It is hard to pray when God seems distant but our feelings deceive us.  God was with David as he wrote this very Psalm and God is with you, right this very moment.  He is not far away.

David proclaims in verse 14-18:

14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm (power) of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.

17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

May we stop thinking like the wicked – that God is far off.

He is near and his eyes and ears and hands and arm are for us!

Jesus sees it ALL and He endured the cross at the hands of the wicked and triumphed OVER wickedness.

It is because of his sacrifice on the cross and victory over the grave that we proclaim boldly – He is the King of Kings forever and ever.

Are you struggling with the state of our world?

This world is not our home. We are just passing through!

Strengthen your heart. Be of good courage.

Have you read the book of Revelation? It all turns out well in the end.  Be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return and put all your trust in Him.  When you feel frightened or frustrated, do as David did, pray.  Over and over we see in the book of Psalms, David’s heart turning from heaviness to praise simply because He went straight to God with all of his troubles.

Take your troubles to Jesus. Let Him lighten your load.

Walk with the King,

Courtney

**Chime In**

Does the state of our world give you fear?  Does the news bother you?

Have you struggled with feeling like God is distant?

What verses do you turn to to overcome these feelings?  

 

 

19 Comments

  1. “We see the inner battle of the existence of God and the suppressing of the truth. It is a constant effort – they have to keep saying in their heart and mind over and over – there is no God.”

    Thank you for this.
    This is exactly what I see now my husband – after 14 years – left church and wonders if there really is a God?

    The inner battle…
    And I need to keep praying. Thank you for your encouragement today.

  2. Thankyou for your comments and questions. I always find Habakkuk a wonderful place to go when I feel overwhelmed with the wicked of this world.

  3. The Bible says the whole world lies in wickedness. The prince of darkness rules the world.
    Our focus should be on Jesus who has promised us that he will never leave or forsake us. We are not moved by the things we see or perceive. We are only moved by God’s words.

    When he says he will judge them he will. its in His place to sort them out. Their end is always bitter if they refuse to turn back to God.
    thanks for this piece.

    http://purposefulandmeaningful.blogspot.com/

  4. Perfect. Thank you for elaborating even more on this topic. I almost feel as if I need to hear this everyday just to make it through without losing my joy. So encouraging. You are such a blessing to us ladies. Thank you for serving the King by serving us.

  5. This encouraged and strengthened my heart. I had not noticed those details from this passage before. What came to mind while reading this post was that God wants believers to be bold as lions. He wants to display through us that something is different in us–His presence. When fear is all around and the world continues on this path–“the people who know their God will display strength and take action” Daniel 11:32

  6. I have often wondered. Can people who profess to be christians, fall under the description of wicked. I have struggled with this kind of people who prosper, but are mean and vindicated. Some who are family.

  7. This was so encouraging today. I often tell myself the exact thing, “That we are not of this world and we are just passing through.” It is hard sometimes, but you are right, just like David, we ought to seek the Lord with our troubles and pray so we can leave them there. Then God can send us His peace and we live to fight another day to be Christians with a bright light in a dark world.Studying His Word also refreshes our minds and spirits daily. It keeps us focused so we don’t get so carried away with this crazy world!

  8. This is a wonderful post. I have always struggled with fear, especially when it comes to seeing the evil that is going on in the world. Like you, I have had to cut back on the media sources that I receive the news from. So, a perusal online and catching updates on SRN news (moody radio) are my main sources. I also consciously look for stories of good that is happening in the world. Good stories help me remember that we are not alone in the world and that God is still working in my life and others.
    I also find great comfort in Jesus words in John 14:27
    “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
    Jesus does not offer a simple suggestion here. It is a command. Gods peace has already been given to us. It is not like the peace the world offers (ie. in wealth, or earthly securities all of which have the potential to fail) Gods peace is eternal. We just need to take hold of it!
    Finally, I heard this prayer once, and it has stuck with me and brings much comfort when I am overwhelmed by the evil in the world. It goes something like this:
    Dear Lord,
    Thank you that you are God over this world.
    Thank you that nothing has ever happened, is happening, or will happen that you do not know about or have YOUR hand in.
    Amen.

    It brings me comfort to know that God has had his hand in some very dire circumstances in history. We can look back and see the evidence of this. And that means though we may not see it directly we can have faith that he is working in the world today. We can also have the confidence that because of His word we know how this epic battle will end. He has already won!

    Sorry for the long winded answer, but these things and so many other verses have helped me take my fear captive and given me the freedom to live in better confidence of God.

  9. Courtney , You have put into words the practice that we have taken on and believed in our house for the last few years . I believe with my whole heart of finding a balance of living in the world but not being of it . And I have found that limiting news of the world and even local events very helpful to my mind and heart . I know in general of events happening but watching a video or saturating my eyes and ears with evil does not boost my Faith but instead tears it down . I pray for my world and my town . And do not close everything off . We cannot be turtles inside our shell . Spending time in prayer knowing our world is in sad shape instead of viewing that sadness seems like a more wise use of time .
    Thank you for your wise and good advice !

  10. Evil is all around and seems to be in control, but as a Christian I know it’s not. If God was to judge evil at this moment in time that means it would be the end of the days. His work is not finished yet! He still has wheat to grow and mature before the harvest. (Matt 13:24/30. The world are tares planted among us, but they still have time for salvation. So be thankful for God’s patience and long suffering. It gives us time to witness and more people to be saved. Because once he judges the sin of this world there will no longer be time for our loved ones and friends to be saved and spend an eternity in heaven! So let your light shine. You may be the only Jesus some people ever see.

  11. It’s funny but I feel similarly. My heart feels troubled and my mind is disturbed at the news I watch on TV. It’s funny because I live in India, another country, another continent. Persecution on Christians has stepped up in the last 6 months and it’s disturbing and not to add scary. But it was true more than 2000 years ago and it’s true now God is in control. People in power and those who are very reach forget about God and do not pause to think about him at all. They think they are invincible. But God is still in control and it’s going to be terrible for those on whom his wrath will fall. Peace as mentioned in some of the earlier post , is something we need to pray for. And to continue doing our work of spreading his word as the Psalmist said in Psalm 9:11 “Sing Praises to The Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done”

  12. I am so thankful you shared how you deal with the current world situation. It’s nice to hear it articulated on a blog. Being “strong mentally” is key to living in challenging situations. This verse is so helpful: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

  13. Thank you for writing this post-and for the others that have commented; I look forward to sitting down and reading some of the scripture that has helped others. As someone who is close to the turmoil that is happening with racial tension and police enforcement as my husband is an officer, I find myself stumbling through trying to maintain faith that God continues to have his hand in the situation and trying to exhibit the belief that He knows and is in control-especially when everything seems so out of control. I believe it’s due to a fallen world and sin, but when trying to witness my faith to others who don’t share that commitment, how can you explain that sin created this?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.