“Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.”
(Habakkuk 1:3)
The righteousness of God’s providence cannot be judged by outward appearances, for His ways are often hidden from human understanding. Moreover, sometimes the prosperity of the wicked is a judgment instead of a blessing.
When Cain killed his brother, for example, we might expect that he would immediately be cut off. Yet God allowed Cain to live a long life. Abel, the righteous man, dies while Cain, the murderer, lives. This is the very complaint of Habakkuk and Jeremiah, who saw violence, injustice, and wicked men prospering while the righteous suffered.[1]
Cain’s long life, however, was a punishment rather than a blessing. He was banished from the presence of God and left to live in his sin. To be left alone in our sin is one of the worst judgments God can give a person in this life.
When God says, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man,” when He allows a person to continue in sin without conviction, without correction, without discipline, this is a grave and fearful judgment. In such cases, long life and prosperity can be a prison, a curse, and a poison that destroys the soul slowly and quietly.
And since we cannot know what God is doing, we should not envy the prosperity of the wicked. Moreover, we should also not despise affliction, for this may be a sign of God’s care and fatherly love. God often afflicts those He loves, and He often allows those He hates to prosper for a time.
So when we are tempted to judge God’s providence by what we see instead of trusting His wisdom… when we find ourself being jealous of the prosperity of the wicked and impatient when we’re under affliction… let us remember that we don’t know what God is doing.
And when we are ignorant of His ways, envious of the wicked, impatient under trials, and more concerned with outward comfort than with inward holiness, we need to ask Him to forgive us and teach us spiritual discernment that we may judge according to His Word and not according to outward appearance.
Contemplations:
- Confessing My Envy of the Wicked. Lord, when I see those who do not fear You living in ease and comfort while those who fear You suffer, my heart is sometimes bothered and confused. Forgive me for measuring Your love by outward prosperity and Your displeasure by outward affliction. Teach me to understand that the prosperity of the wicked may be their judgment, and that affliction may be a sign of Your fatherly care. And help me judge all things by Your Word and not by what I see with my eyes.
- Confessing My Impatience Under Affliction. Father, I often desire comfort more than holiness and ease more than growth in grace. And when You correct me, I sometimes complain instead of humbling myself. Forgive me for my impatience, my murmuring, and my lack of submission to Your will. Teach me to bear Your cross with patience and to believe that affliction is working for my good and for Your glory.
- Confessing My Ignorance of Your Ways. Lord, I am often quick to judge Your providence. When I do not understand what You are doing, I am tempted to question Your wisdom. But I confess that Your judgments are a great deep, and that Your ways are higher than my ways. Forgive me for my unbelief and teach me to trust You even when I do not understand what You’re doing in my life or in the world.
- Confessing My Desire for Earthly Comfort. Father, I confess that I am often more concerned with earthly comfort than with spiritual good. I desire health, ease, and prosperity, and I do not always consider whether these things would help or harm my soul. Forgive me for loving the world too much and for not desiring holiness as I should. Teach me to desire whatever will bring me closer to You, even if it is through affliction and trial.
Prayer (Confession)
Holy and righteous God, when I see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer, I am sometimes troubled in my heart, tempted to think that Your ways are not fair. But I confess that this is my ignorance and my unbelief, and not any lack of righteousness in You.
I often envy the prosperity of the wicked. When I see others living in ease and comfort, I sometimes desire their condition, without considering that their prosperity may be their judgment. Forgive me for this sinful jealousy and teach me not to desire anything that would harm my soul.
I am also often impatient under affliction. When You lay Your hand on me, I sometimes complain instead of humbling myself. I confess that I have sometimes murmured and questioned Your wisdom. Forgive me for my impatience and my lack of submission to Your will.
I confess that I am often more concerned with outward comfort than with inward holiness. I desire ease, peace, and prosperity over growth in grace and conformity to Christ. Forgive me for loving the world too much and for not loving holiness enough.
Lord, help me not envy the wicked, not despise affliction, and not measure Your love by outward things but to trust You in both prosperity and in adversity, in light and in darkness, in comfort and in affliction.
Give me a humble heart, a submissive will, and a believing spirit. Teach me to be content with whatever You appoint for me, believing that all Your ways are right and good.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Further Scripture References Hab. 1:3:
Psalm 55:9; Prov. 17:19; Prov. 15:18; Heb. 1:13
[1] John Lightfoot, The Works of the Reverend and Learned John Lightfoot D.D. (London: W. R. for Robert Scot, Thomas Basset, Richard Chiswell, 1684), 1310–1311.
