1Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
Your Bible probably says “A Psalm of Asaph” at the beginning of Psalm 73. My Bible has the words “Sandy’s Psalm” written next to it. I remember the first time I read Psalm 73. I had been a Christian for quite some time, so surely I had read it before; but that day I read my story in the Psalm. A few months later, I realized that I was worshipping to a song based on the Psalm and it came alive in an even great way. Let me share a little of the narrative with you.
1Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
It makes so much sense that God is good to Israel, but me? I came so close to missing Him. Because you see…
3For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.4They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.5They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.…
12This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
I wanted to be one of those people – rich, carefree, not burdened by religion (which is really nonsense, anyway, right?) I had a life planned that was centered around what I wanted out of it. I had “success” in my future. In college I bought china and crystal because that’s how I saw myself in the future.
Then I fell in love – first with a wonderful man who loved the Lord, and then with the Lord. My definition of “success” has drastically changed, but it was a process. My mind tried to process the differences between my old definition of success, the “carefree” lifestyle of those who seemed successful, and the lifestyle that God wants from me. I love how the Psalmist describes his change of perspective:
13Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.…
16When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me17till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
The Psalmist actually regrets that he has led a pure life. He felt oppressed when he tried to make sense of living a pure life for God when those who ignore Him have success and seem so carefree. So he did the absolute right thing – he took his confusion to God. He writes that he felt oppressed until he went to God with his confusion. Then God revealed Truth to him.
There’s a lesson in this. How often do we continue in our confusion, trying our hardest to figure “life” out without taking our confusion to God? Let’s take our confusion to the One who knows all things and the One who has all wisdom and knowledge.
The Psalmist shares with us what God revealed to him:
18Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.19How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
God is so gracious. He reveals to the Psalmist how shaky their foundation really is. The things the “successful” people have built their life upon, the things they place value on, are things that could vanish in an instant.
Understanding God’s perspective often brings us to our knees in repentance and worship. Such is the case with the Psalmist:
21When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,22I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.23Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.27Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.28But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Praise God! This is Sandy’s Psalm, written thousands of years before Sandy was thought of by humans, but was being formed in God’s plan. What struck me as I was worshipping to a song based on the Psalm was that the Psalmist ends as a worshipper – “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire beside you. As for me, it is good to be near God.” When all is said and done, God has made me first and foremost a worshipper. Being near Him…it is good!
Thank You, Lord, for having Asaph write a Psalm for me.
Are there any Psalms that have been written for you? Share with me (here or on Facebook) which Psalms describe your life.
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