“Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power?” – Job 21:7 

Scripture reading: Job 21:7-16

One of Job’s frustrations was that the wicked seemed to do well. He saw God’s judgment on them as late in coming. In reality, he was complaining about the slowness of God’s justice.

Yes, it was hard for him to watch how wicked people were healthy, how their children seemed to succeed in business, how they died in peace at a good old age and not in turmoil. He also saw their businesses thrive, their animals did not die, their houses were not torn down by earthquakes, and that their children were happy. To Job, this seemed grossly unfair, considering he was godly and yet he was suffering.

Job needed to go back to the house of God as Asaph did in Psalm 73 to understand that wicked men were on slippery ground and would fall fast, while Christians were on solid ground and would be preserved for eternity. It does not matter if Christians were to suffer in this life as their suffering is always temporary.

Christians’ names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. God does not have a Magic Eraser and removes names. He secures His people. And even when His children go through hardships in life, He wants them to remember that it is ultimately for their good. So don’t be envious of the wicked. Rather, be sorry for them and show them the way that leads to life that they too may stand on solid ground.

Suggestions for prayer

Pray that you will not become envious at the prosperity of the wicked, but you will pity them and share the message of hope with them.

Pastor Mitchell Persaud is a missionary at New Horizon URCNA, in Scarborough, ON, Canada, where he has ministered for over 20 years. Feel free to Google his name for more information about New Horizon. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.