It is difficult to understand at times how evil people can prosper, while people who sincerely try to follow the Lord have hard times. The writer of Psalm 73, Asaph, struggled with this question, just as many people do today. Seeing wicked people appear to get away with their evil while seeing good people suffer was enough to strain his faith. He knew God is good; so, he could not understand how this could happen.
The writer of Psalm 73 felt that he had nearly slipped into despair in questioning God’s goodness. It was not that it was wrong to question God, but it was wrong to presume to tell God what He should be doing. Asaph took comfort in realizing that the wicked receive justice while the children of God have eternal hope in heaven. The wicked, or the unsaved, have only this world. Once it is gone, they will lose it all.
Our faith can become strained when we look around us and at our present condition. If we look ahead to our treasures in heaven, however, our joy will be restored (Bible Expositor and Illuminator Union Gospel Press, Summer Quarter 2022).