Psalm 73

I’ll admit I’ve wrestled with God.  I’ve doubted His goodness, His will, His ways, His lack of judgment… I think from time to time we ALL scratch our heads and wonder what possible good He could bring from a particular situation.  When a tragedy strikes it’s normal for us to be shaken and wonder why God allowed that event.  But even in the day-to-day dealings of our lives we can be tempted to second-guess God.  How is our faith affected when we don’t understand what God does or allows?

Do you know anybody who seems to live a charmed life with no troubles or cares, but who couldn’t care less about the troubles of others?  Who seems to be successful in every business venture they pursue, but for the sole purpose of having bigger and nicer homes, cars and vacations?  Who has plenty of money and power and influence, but use it to advance their own personal agenda at the expense of whoever happens to be in their way?

Psalm 73 is an honest look at one man’s struggle with the prosperity of the ungodly.  The psalmist Asaph was appointed by King David as a worship leader in the Temple.  Some event, or some series of events, came about in his life that caused him to doubt God.  Deep down he KNEW God was good and faithful and just, but he just couldn’t quite grasp how ungodly people could go on, day after day, with no consequences.  Asaph grew to envy those people because he was striving to live faithfully and honor God with his life but he didn’t seem to be prospering.  Instead he was having difficulty and hardship and confusion, and it caused him to DOUBT.

The psalm lists the things Asaph saw happening in the lives of the ungodly:  no health issues, plenty of money, no responsibilities, always carefree…  He saw their arrogance and contempt for God.  He saw them increase in power and influence, and watched curiously as people flocked to them in droves.

Asaph felt that his godly lifestyle was of no consequence.  Every day he woke up to a life of troubles and trials, and God was allowing it!  And God was allowing the ungodly to oppress the less-fortunate, manipulate justice, and worst of all – blaspheme His holy Name!  Asaph wondered why HE was losing and the bad guys were winning!

Because of Asaph’s position in the Temple, he quietly wrestled with his doubts.  He knew that a public declaration of his private ponderings would have misled those who looked to him for leadership.  Asaph understood that he had a responsibility to point others TO God and not AWAY from Him, so he prayed and contemplated and waited on God.

Worship remained a part of Asaph’s life and one day the Lord gave him some insight – the prosperity of the ungodly was temporal.  In the end it would all be swept away and NOTHING would remain.  But as for those who were upright and faithful to Him, God would bless and guide and provide both here on earth AND in Heaven.  Asaph understood what the apostle James would write several centuries later, our lives are like a vapor – here one minute and gone the next , so the godly must persevere and be patient until the Lord returns (James, chapters 4 and 5).

Asaph then recognized his twisted logic, confessed it to God, acknowledged Him for who He was, and his faith was restored.  The last line of the psalm is profound, “I will tell of all Your deeds.”  Now that Asaph’s private struggle with God had come to an end – an end that was TRUE and RIGHT – NOW it was appropriate for Asaph to share with the masses.  Even though Asaph wrestled with what God allowed, he came to the point that he could trust God because of Who He is.

All of us have been through a struggle that caused us to question God, and because we live in a fallen world we will continue to have struggles.  They may come in the form of a storm that crashes over us and turns our lives upside down, they may come in the form of a dry period in our lives when God seems to be silent, they may come in any variety of ways but they WILL come.  And the longer they go on, the more tempted we can be to doubt God and feel like giving up, so it’s important for us to have a strategy in place so we can remain faithful.

1. Understand that while our perception is our reality, our perception is not FACT.  Many factors influence our reasoning: past experiences, attitudes, biases, what we notice, what we ignore… any NUMBER of things can cloud our perception and influence how we feel and react.  In any given situation, there is always more than meets the eye, and GOD is the only One who sees and knows the full TRUE picture.
2. Realize that the longer the struggle, the harder it can be to stay focused.  Because our enemy wants to steal our joy and peace and confidence (John 10:10), we need to be careful about what we let fill our minds (2 Cor 10:5).  We live in an age with so many good Christian resources – books, music, tv, movies, Bible studies, counseling, worship opportunities… One of the best ways I’ve found to stay focused is to keep praise music playing in my house.  Invariably a song will get stuck in my head and I’ll end up singing it all day long.  While that may irritate my family, it inspires me!  BTW I’ve learned to hum quietly while I’m around them and save the vocals for when I’m alone ;)
3. Last but not least, DON’T WALK AWAY FROM GOD!!  That will grieve His Spirit and cause the enemy to dance, so determine to grieve the enemy and let God dance!!  Stick with (or find!) a group of trustworthy Christian friends who will pray for you and walk you thru the struggle!!  Keep going to church!!  Guard your time in the Word!!  Confess your doubts and fears to Him and ask Him to strengthen you.  And when He does, tell of all His deeds.

Life is hard.  Troubles come.  Crazy things happen.  But always remember, God is in control.  He sees and He knows and He is working in ways we can’t begin to comprehend.  And even though we may NEVER understand what God DOES, we can ALWAYS trust Who God IS.