That's not Fair!

Read: Psalm 73

Three little words. Not I love you, but probably this little phrase is used almost as often.

“That's not fair.”

I have been thinking about these oft repeated words this week because a friend told me that she had heard them concerning God. Her coworker had spoken them after hearing that a nice young woman with small children had been diagnosed with a very serious illness. If that weren't enough, he knew of nasty people who were humming along without problems. He stated that he didn't like that God had not done anything about that.

We have heard and sometimes perhaps using different words, we have said the same thing. Frequently, the more we try to figure out why God might allow hard circumstances, the more confused we often become. Sometimes, we don't stop with confusion and head directly into anger. That's where the author of Psalm 73 was headed. He was falling downhill fast because the puzzles of life simply had too many missing pieces to make sense at all. He started out well with the truth that he knew.

God had indeed been good to Israel. After all, they were a nation because God had chosen Abraham and promised him a land, Genesis 13:14-16. They were, after hundreds of years living in that land of promise. Yes, God had been good to His people.

Then the train began to derail for Asaph. The more he looked around, the more he disliked what he saw. Arrogant men were speaking against God. Nothing happened to them; instead, they prospered. Like my friend's coworker, he didn't like what he saw. It seemed to him that bad people skated through life. Their deaths were even easy while the good suffered disproportionately. Then in verse 13, his wandering thoughts resulted in a dangerous conclusion. Thankfully, he didn't go about spewing the words that had begun to lodge within him. Thoughts that were false. Thoughts that taunted him with the idea that it had been useless to serve God. Thoughts that told Asaph that the right that he had done didn't matter at all. Yet, even in his weariness, the psalmist confused as he was, finally remembered where to go with his burdensome thoughts. To the sanctuary of God.

He returned to the truth of God and His Word. In verses 18-19, Asaph remembered that though the arrogant and ungodly often do prosper, their end will be sudden and irrevocable. Contrast that with those who love and serve God. In verses 23-28, we are reminded of Asaph's remedy for the "not fair' things of life. God is with His own. The psalmist says that He holds us by the hand. He guides us with His counsel, and afterwards, He will receive us to be with Him forever. No wonder the psalmist goes on to rejoice in the truth that God is His portion. God is His refuge and rather than looking at the inequities of life, Asaph will tell others about what God is like.

That's all wonderful news for us, but what about my friend's coworker? He doesn't yet belong to Jesus; so, what might we do to help him?

First, we can tell him the truth. We too don't understand some of the very things that don't make sense to him. When we see pain and suffering, especially when it falls upon someone whom we care about, it makes us sad too.

Second, the goodness of God that we cling to when we're sad isn't based on what we see happening all around us. Yes, we care deeply that people are suffering, but that isn't our gauge for understanding God. What is? His love is seen when we think about the cross. The life of each person, whether apparently good or blatantly bad is affected by what Jesus did on the cross. That is where the ultimate unfairness took place. That's where the sins of everyone were borne by the Righteous One, 1 John 2:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Third, God also despises the suffering that people endure. Often, when He was on the earth, He healed those who were hurting or handicapped. He came to conquer death once and for all, John 16:33. Because He rose victoriously over death, we who will put our trust in Him will someday enjoy a kingdom that will be free of sin and all pain. A place where unfairness will vanish along with all suffering, Revelation 21-22!

All this, God has done because He loves us. May my friend's coworker know that God loves Him with an unfathomable love.