Sometimes we feel like troubles and evil will never end. Though Galatians 6:9 tell us to “not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up,” we can be tempted to give up.

So we need frequent reminders of what is truly valuable, what is really eternal and Who is really in control.  As Hebrews 10:24-25 says, we are to encourage one another to keep the faith and to keep working for the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior! Evil will be overcome by good!

The first verse states uncompromisingly what is of true value:

16 It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.

God wants to bless us with this world’s legitimate joys. But such blessings are not to take priority over our spiritual lives. The godly need very little material goods to be satisfied and joyful for they find a relationship through Christ Jesus with their loving heavenly Father to be the greatest riches. They understand that living a life of righteousness before God and the peace and joy that brings to be more valuable than wealth wrongly attained. They know that “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6  KJV), and “A good name (good reputation) is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1 KJV).

Those who fear the Lord endure present sufferings and difficulties and work to see God’s Kingdom come on this earth because they know His heart. They remember that far greater blessings and great reward await them in the life to come.

Evil people may find wealth and success for a time, may feel they can escape the wrath of a God they won’t submit to. They think this life is all there is (Matthew 6:31-33) and so they grab all they can, sometimes at the expense of others. But any satisfaction they find will be short-lived and hollow because they do not pursue the One Who offers real, abundant life (John 10:10). They will find eventually themselves without hope, their wealth and prestige gone (Proverbs 21:6).  

17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered*, but the Lord takes care of the godly. 18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.

We cannot live based on appearances. That is not faith. Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 that, “Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (NLT).

Though evil seems strong, it is fragile compared to God and His power. Our God will one day personally bring the plans of the rebellious to nothing. Their punishment will be eternal. Though His people may suffer for a time here on earth, the blessings and glory and reward awaiting them are eternal. And in this present life, we can ask the Lord to open our eyes to his care for us and his blessings on us even when all seems dark and hopeless. In the midst of it all, we can trust and be assured that God is working, bringing justice and victory even now.

19 They (the righteous) will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. But the wicked will die.The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—they will disappear like smoke.

We  are in the midst of spiritual warfare. The enemy of our souls will stop at nothing in order to kill, steal, and destroy. But even though the godly may face his attacks, may suffer through hard times, deprivation, and opposition, even death at the hands of their enemies, the Lord will not forsake them. He will be there “more than enough.” They can cling to the truth of what Paul told us in Romans 8:35-39 that absolutely nothing can take God and His love away from us and that even when we are regarded “as sheep to the slaughter” we are more than conquerors.

In the next blog on this Psalm, the psalmist goes into greater detail about the characteristics of the godly in comparison to the wicked and how God blesses and cares for those who fear Him.

*Psalms 75:9-10

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.