When Faith and Life Clash
Opening Prayer
Lord God, I praise You that Your love for me is based on Your character, not on my performance. How great You are!
Read PSALM 73
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But 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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go
near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools…” (Eccl. 5:1).
Think Further
Like the student asking the apparently dumb question in the classroom, Psalm 73 voices the questions of the silent majority of believers. Asaph, the composer, states his belief upfront in an orthodox statement, which, however, seems wrenched from his heart rather than eagerly affirmed: “Surely, God is good” (1). Or is he? Asaph’s trouble is that as he looks around him it’s those who couldn’t care one bit for God and his laws—the proud and prosperous (4–7,12), the popular (10) and the thoroughly arrogant (11)—who seem to be experiencing his goodness. So, Asaph asks, “What’s the point of my serving God? I suffer dutifully while they live happy-go- lucky lives. Perhaps I should join them.” Honesty compels
us to admit we’ve all asked similar questions.
Then something remarkable happens which changes Asaph’s whole understanding and he realizes what a dangerous road he’s been slithering down (15,16). He looks at life again but from a different vantage point (17). Entering the Temple he sees the same things but from an eternal perspective. Then he understands how precarious the lives of these arrogant people are, especially in the light of death and what lies beyond (18–20). This is no mere philosophical exercise for him, but one that resolves his spiritual torment and impacts his character too. His new understanding causes him to: calm his spirit (12); confess his foolishness, so restoring his humanity (21,22); and rediscover real trust in God (23–28). He has what the wicked don’t have: God, his strength and portion forever.
When belief and experience seem to conflict, don’t let it drive you away from God but to him. Never leave God out of the frame when it comes to the questions of life.
Apply
Confront your questions. Tell God your struggles in harmonizing your faith with the difficulties of life. Then listen to him, perhaps by slowly and meditatively reading Psalm 73 again.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, I admit that popular culture has a strong pull on me. The secret to a contented life is You in me, not me elsewhere. I need help as it is a hard lesson to learn.
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