Why do the wicked prosper? Why does the cut-throat CEO’s stock portfolio go up? Why do businesses with unethical practices make money hand over fist? Why do the most liberal organizations get grants? Why does the church with a watered-down message grow? Those are questions we all ask—out loud or silently. There is within us a sense of justice—a right way things should happen, and a disappointment or disillusionment when things just aren’t right. 

This question is not new or even the proverbial “elephant in the room.” Solomon deals with this conundrum throughout his inspired journal. He is being honest and raw. Sometimes life doesn’t make sense. The believer suffers. The godless prosper. That is—for now. Here’s what Solomon concludes: 

Ecclesiastes 8:12
Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.

The sinner—the person far from God—engages in a life of evil. If God says “Up,” they go down. If God says, “Right,” they turn left. If God says, “No,” they say, “I will do what I want.” Solomon’s use of “a hundred times” doesn’t mean he’s counting. It means that the direction of the evil person’s life is in opposition to God. 

But it’s different for the person who fears God. The person who has a personal relationship with God through Jesus, lives with an understanding that God is a loving Father, and he has made each one of us for eternity (Eccl 3:11). We will not always understand the way he works. Some things will not make sense, no matter how hard we try to find the answer. But Solomon teaches us that this life is a vapor, a passing breeze. God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for our sins, and one day Jesus will escort us into the Father’s presence. That’s why Solomon can say, “I know that it will be well with those who fear God.” 

Take some time to talk to God:

Tell him about your confusion and questions.

Ask for his peace and confidence in the midst of your chaos.

Ask him to give you an eternal perspective. 

Thank him for the confidence that this passage gives you— “I know that it will be well with those who fear God.”

Father, help me today to surrender to your eternal plan. In Jesus’ name. Amen.