Psalm 73

Envy, Social Media, and the Nearness of God

When the World Looks Better Than God

As we walked through Psalm 73 together, something in us resonated deeply. The psalmist begins by admitting something we’ve all felt: envy. He looks around at the world—the influencers, the celebrities, the successful—and he’s honest about his jealousy. In verse 3, he says, “I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

That hit home. Haven’t we all had those moments scrolling through social media or seeing someone on TV and thinking, “Did I miss something? Am I doing this life thing all wrong?” It’s easy to feel like others are winning while we’re stuck. The comparison creeps in subtly but powerfully, and before we know it, we’ve taken our eyes off God and placed them firmly on everyone else’s highlight reel.

But Psalm 73 invites us to pause and ask: Who am I looking at? Where am I placing my attention?

The Illusion of Ease

We’ve learned—especially in pastoral work—that things are rarely what they seem. People walk into our office with real pain and heartbreak that doesn’t show up in Instagram posts or polished public images. From the outside, their life might look perfect: successful career, happy family, dream vacations. But behind closed doors, there’s struggle, addiction, fear, and sorrow.

Psalm 73 reminds us that the ease and success of “the wicked” is often a mirage. Verse 12 says, “Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.” But the Psalm doesn't stop there—it doesn’t let us stay in that place of comparison and envy. It calls us to refocus.

Shifting Our Gaze Back to God

There’s a clear turning point in the psalm. In verses 25–26, we read:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

That’s the invitation. We don’t have to keep comparing our behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel. We don’t have to chase a version of the “good life” that doesn’t satisfy. Instead, we’re called to stay near to God—the one who truly sees us, knows us, and sustains us.

Verse 28 says it plainly: “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” That’s it. That’s where peace and purpose are found—not in likes or status or success, but in the presence of God.

A Call to Filter and Refocus

This Psalm isn’t telling us to abandon everything cultural, to shut off every screen and disappear from the world. But it is challenging us to filter what we take in. What voices are shaping us? Whose opinions are forming our identity?

We’re not saying “don’t use social media.” For some of us, we can be on those platforms and still walk with discernment, prayerfully filtering what we see and how it affects us. But for others, it might be time for an honest inventory: Is this helping me draw nearer to God? Or is it pulling me away?

Sometimes we need to set boundaries or take a break. Maybe that’s a digital fast, a time limit on our apps, or simply asking a friend to check in on how we’re doing. And in all of it, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us see with truth, not illusion—to help us live grounded in God’s word and God's reality.

Let’s Stay Near

Psalm 73 ends with this assurance: “I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” That’s the posture we want. Not grasping for what others have, but choosing to draw near to the One who is already near to us.

Let’s be people who stay close to God, who filter our lives through His truth, and who remember that the “better life” we long for is found not in comparison, but in communion.

Thanks for walking through Psalm 73 with us. Let’s keep our eyes—and our hearts—on the One who never fails.