Based on Psalm 88 (New King James Version)
“O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand. You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah. You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out; my eye wastes away because of affliction. Lord, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah. Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But to You I have cried out, O Lord, and in the morning my prayer comes before You. Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught. Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off. They came around me all day long like water; they engulfed me altogether. Loved one and friend You have put far from me, and my acquaintances into darkness.”
Unlike the vast majority of psalms, this one was not written by David, but rather, by Heman the Ezrahite. Who was this man? Heman is believed to have been a descendant of Levi, one of the grandsons of the prophet Samuel. King David made him one of the three principal musicians to lead musical worship in the temple, directing the temple choir and playing many instruments. He was recognized as a prophet, whom David consulted. He was also known for his wisdom, and history tells us that his wisdom was comparable to Solomon's. This man was not just any person, but someone very special because of his family, his gifts and abilities, and his service to God and his nation.
However, this psalm written by Heman is one of the psalms that most expresses lamentation, loneliness, and suffering, describing a time when he feels abandoned by God, his friends, and acquaintances. And one might ask, “if this man was so special, how could he feel that way?” The reasons why he wrote the psalm are not entirely known, therefore, we can only be guided by the Spirit and discern. From what we read, Heman speaks of the terrors and wrath of God, so we can assume that something happened in his life where he feels that the pain he experienced is a consequence of some wrongdoing he did before God, because he attributes all his problems to God. And if he was a wise man, he was not blaming God for nothing, but some reasons could have arisen.
Now, can we say that people who suffer or experience hardship are worse or more evil than others? The Bible answers this way: “All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all…” Ecclesiastes 9:2-3a. So, we can conclude that someone who does well, so to speak, is no better or has more favor with God than someone who experiences great suffering. This contrasts with some of the bad teachings we have today. Supposed blessings are not necessarily the product of good behavior or favor before God, nor is illness or personal suffering necessarily a consequence of a person's direct sin. If we put it on God's scale (the only scale that matters), we are all sinners, even those who have come to Christ and have received His forgiveness. As long as we are in this carnal state, we will continue to sin until the day we die. Some more, some less, but we all continue to sin; therefore, before God, no one is better. And the fact that one person has a better life than another is not necessarily a matter of a lack of faith either, as many mistakenly claim today. We read this: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:32-40. So, it should be very clear to us that our present conditions, good or bad, are not necessarily a sign of either blessing or punishment.
Some may argue, what good do is it for to believe in and follow God faithfully if things can go wrong for me? What good does it do if things can even go worse for me than others? Our sufferings are always the result of sin, whether due to our direct actions or environmental sin (per se), because we live in a corrupt world. And it is possible for God to change our circumstances for the better, whether through our repentance or out of goodness alone, just as everything may remain the same, or even get worse, despite our faithfulness to God (and we have the Apostles as an example). And with this, I'm not saying that we shouldn't ask for help. Pray for God's help with faith, whatever your situation, as Heman did! But what matters most to God is what we decide to do within our circumstances here and now, if we seek to continue repenting, if we seek His will, despite the circumstances. This is where good works or doing God's will makes perfect sense. It is written: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11a. This is why it matters what we do here and now, especially in difficulty, as a result of our faith. We will all give an account before God. And it also says: “…For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48a. God cares about what we do, especially after coming to Christ. We were all created, made, and saved by Christ to serve Him, whatever our condition, and especially if God has given us more than others. With every blessing comes responsibility, and there is great reward when we are faithful in suffering. So, do you seek after God to do His will? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!