Have you ever looked at someone who doesn’t know Christ and wondered why their life seems to be going so well?

Maybe they’re financially comfortable, enjoying good health, surrounded by opportunities, and seemingly free from the struggles you’ve been carrying. Meanwhile, you’re trying to live faithfully, trust God, and do what’s right, yet life seems to be one difficulty after another.

You know God is good. You know He’s faithful. But sometimes, when you look around, it’s hard not to wonder why those who give Him little thought seem to be thriving while those who love Him are struggling.

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. In fact, one of the writers of the Psalms wrestled with that very question.

When Faithfulness Seems to Cost More Than It Gives

Psalm 73 opens with a declaration of God’s goodness, but almost immediately, Asaph admits how close he came to losing his footing.

“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

-Psalm 73:2–3 (NKJV)

Asaph wasn’t questioning whether God existed. He was struggling to reconcile what he knew about God with what he was seeing around him.

He watched people who lived arrogantly and disregarded God enjoying lives that appeared comfortable and carefree. They seemed to escape many of the troubles others faced. Their wealth increased, their confidence grew, and they appeared to have little reason to worry.

Meanwhile, Asaph was suffering.

His frustration eventually led him to a painful conclusion.

“Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.”

-Psalm 73:13–14 (NKJV)

Can you hear the discouragement in those words?

Asaph had been trying to live with integrity before God, yet he was beginning to wonder what difference it made. Those who disregarded God seemed to be enjoying life, while he was enduring hardship.

And perhaps that’s what makes this psalm so relatable. Sometimes the struggle isn’t that we’ve stopped believing God’s promises. It’s that our present circumstances seem so different from what we expected.

We know following Christ doesn’t guarantee an easy life. Yet watching someone prosper without Him while we’re barely keeping our heads above water can still be discouraging.

But Asaph’s story doesn’t end with his frustration.

Then I Understood Their End

The turning point comes in Psalm 73:16–17.

“When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.”

-Psalm 73:16–17 (NKJV)

Notice what changed.

Asaph didn’t suddenly receive an explanation for every hardship he was experiencing. The people he had envied hadn’t necessarily lost their wealth or encountered some terrible misfortune.

What changed was his perspective.

He had been evaluating their lives by what he could see in the present. But when he considered their ultimate end, he realized that earthly prosperity was not the same as lasting security.

The very people he had envied were standing on uncertain ground. Their present comfort couldn’t protect them from God’s judgment.

And that realization changes everything.

What If This Is the Best They’ll Ever Have?

There’s a thought I’ve come back to that puts the struggles of this life into a very different perspective.

For the Christian, this fallen world is the worst we will ever experience. But for those who ultimately die without Christ, this world is the best they will ever know.

Think about that for a moment.

For the believer, every hardship has an expiration date. Every disappointment, every illness, every loss, every season of grief will eventually give way to something infinitely better.

This world, with all its beauty and blessings, is still a fallen world. Even our happiest moments are touched by the reality of sin, suffering, and death.

But this isn’t our final home.

The life awaiting us in Christ is not simply an improved version of the one we’re living now. Scripture promises a future in which the very things that cause us so much pain will be gone.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

-Revelation 21:4 (NKJV)

Now consider the other side of that truth.

Someone may spend their entire earthly life enjoying wealth, comfort, good health, and everything this world has to offer. From the outside, their life may appear enviable.

But if they ultimately die apart from Christ, none of those blessings can change what awaits them.

This doesn’t mean everyone who currently rejects Christ will remain an unbeliever. God is still saving sinners, and we have no way of knowing whom He will yet bring to faith.

But for those who finally perish without Him, the pleasures and comforts of this life are temporary. What lies ahead is not something anyone should envy.

That thought should humble us. It should stir our compassion for those who don’t know Christ.

And it should remind us that we cannot measure the goodness of someone’s circumstances by looking only at the present.

The Part We Often Forget

When we’re struggling, it’s easy to become so focused on what we lack that we overlook what we’ve been given.

We may not have the financial security someone else enjoys. We may not have their health, their opportunities, or their seemingly trouble-free life.

But if we belong to Christ, we have something no earthly circumstance can take away.

Asaph eventually came to that same realization.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Psalm 73:25–26 (NKJV)

I love that Asaph doesn’t pretend his troubles have disappeared. He acknowledges that his flesh and heart may fail.

His circumstances may still be difficult. His strength may still be exhausted. Yet he has come to recognize that his greatest treasure was never the comfortable life he saw others enjoying.

It was God Himself.

And unlike earthly prosperity, that treasure cannot be lost.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t grieve our losses, acknowledge our pain, or pray for relief. Scripture gives us plenty of examples of faithful people doing all three.

It simply means that our present suffering doesn’t tell the whole story.

Paul understood this when he wrote:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

-Romans 8:18 (NKJV)

Paul wasn’t dismissing suffering. He knew it intimately. But he also knew that whatever believers endure in this life cannot compare with what God has prepared for them.

And sometimes we need that reminder, especially when the lives of others seem so much easier than our own.

A Different Way to Look at Things

The next time you find yourself discouraged because someone who doesn’t know Christ seems to have everything going their way, remember Asaph.

Remember how close he came to stumbling when he measured life by what he could see. And remember what happened when he considered eternity.

The person you’re tempted to envy may have many things you wish you had. But earthly prosperity or an easy life cannot tell you where someone stands before God.

And the difficulties you’re facing don’t mean God has forgotten you.

You may be walking through a season you wouldn’t have chosen. You may be carrying burdens that seem heavier than you can bear. You may look around and wonder why life appears so much easier for everyone else.

But if you belong to Christ, this is as bad as it will ever get. Even if the hardest days of your life are still ahead of you, they belong to a life that is passing away. There is coming a day when you will experience your last sorrow, shed your last tear, and face your last disappointment. And from that day forward, there will be nothing but the fullness of life God has promised those who belong to Him.

Until then, when life seems unfair and faithfulness feels difficult, remember that you’re only seeing part of the story.

Asaph looked at their prosperity and almost lost his footing. Then he considered their end and remembered what he had in God.

May we learn to do the same. Be encouraged, and remember to view this life through the lens of eternity.

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For more biblical reflections and encouragement to help you see life’s challenges through the lens of Scripture, visit our Reflections page.