When It Seems Like The Bad Guys Win

When It Seems Like The Bad Guys Win
Proverbs 24:1-6

Doesn’t it sometimes seem like the

“evil” people succeed? You know, the people who cut every corner, lie and manipulate others to get what they want, and are just generally arrogant and selfish. Yet despite all these not-so-charming characteristics, they somehow manage to have all the good stuff, and I don’t even mean actual things. I mean good jobs, families, lots of friends, good health, good looks, yada yada yada.

It can be so incredibly frustrating to look at the lives of those people while you feel like you fight so hard for those things in your own life and it hasn’t exactly worked out like that for you. You try to live and work with integrity, treat the people around you well, be healthy, but life rarely seems to go your way. But they are over there doing as they please, oblivious to the pain they may be causing others and living happily ever after despite the fact that they’re terrible people.

It is weirdly easy to be envious of people like that, even though we also see all their terrible traits. Why do they get to be mean, evil people and still have so much going right in their lives, while I’m over here, trying to do the right, godly things, and nothing goes my way?

Prov. 24 tells us “Don’t envy evil men or desire to be with them, for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.”  

But then it immediately follows that with the encouragement of  “A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength; for you should wage war with sound guidance—victory comes with many counselors.”

While verses 1-2 command against envy, verses 3-6 encourage us to stay the course of wisdom. Whatever those people have, it’s nothing compared to the promises of a house--a legacy--built with rock solid wisdom, a life filled with “every precious and beautiful treasure” that result from relentlessly pursuing a life built on Christ.

Following Christ is hard sometimes, okay-often. But God shows us how to do the hard things, to keep following after Him, and over time, that begins to produce “wise warriors,” who are able fight life’s wars with “sound guidance.” Sometimes it will seem like the evil, violent, troublesome people are winning, but ultimately, evil is not victorious.

Keep pursuing wisdom. Keep asking God for understanding. Keep accepting sound guidance and the knowledge of the wise counselors God has given you. Because those things build strong legacies and will fill your life with precious and beautiful things.

I hope this has made sense. I feel like I know the heart of this church family well enough to be able to say with confidence that I know you are already trying to live lives that glorify and honor God, and pursuing wisdom and understanding. My prayer is one of encouragement over you, especially if you are discouraged. Keep going. You’re following the right path. Don’t be discouraged by the evil people who seem to be winning. Christ has already won your victory, and He is walking with you towards the completion of it.

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Blessings, 

Connie Hartman

Administrator, The Well Church