Thursday, January 20

Thursday

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.  Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.  Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.  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.   – Psalm 73:21-28

The passage above describes the Psalmist (Asaph) as he looks back over his struggle and doubt.  He is reflecting on how foolish and shortsighted he was and how blind he was to the goodness and faithfulness of God.  One of the things that strikes me most about this is that Asaph is willing to reflect and think deeply about what his condition was and how got into such a mess. 

It’s one thing to cry out to God for mercy and help when you are in the midst of a crisis.  It is another thing to pause and consider (after the help has come and the crisis is over) what you can learn and how you can grow from that experience.  Many of us are familiar with the quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” but how many of us are actually taking the time to examine our lives in the presence of God?

Asaph was willing to examine his life and to honestly face himself.  This is a difficult thing to do.  We do not like to do this. We do not mind working our way through our problem, but the minute we get relief we want to move on and forget about whatever it was that troubled us.  We do not go on to face up to what led us to this, what made us act like this.  That is why many of us keep going through the same problems over and over again.  Do you ever feel like you keep making the same mistakes, having the same doubts and struggles, or dealing with the same issues over and over again? 

I remember hearing a story (I have no idea if it is true) about a man who had worked for manufacturing company for 25 years.  A higher-level management position opened up that he really wanted, so he applied for the job.  He was turned down and when he later discovered that a person who had only been with the company for one year was hired instead of him, he was furious.  He stormed into the boss’ office and demanded to know why he was passed over.  He said, “why would you give this job to someone with only one year of experience when I have had 25 years of experience?”  His boss looked at him and calmly replied, “you have not had 25 years of experience, you have had one year of experience 25 times.”

The point is that most of us are too busy and distracted to take the time to really reflect and examine our lives before God.  We are not yet too far into the new year, how many of you have reflected on the lessons God has taught you over the past year?  We rush from one activity to the next, from one week to the next, from one year to the next, and we wonder why we often seem stuck in our spiritual lives.  Asaph has given us a window into his heart as he reflects on his life and on his spiritual struggles.  He saw what had caused his doubts.  He understood what led him to question God.  He saw how foolish and ignorant he was.  I am sure that this was not the last time Asaph ever had a question or a spiritual struggle.  However, I can’t help but wonder if he ever had this particular struggle again, my guess is that he probably did not. 

Did you notice in the passage above the amazing way that Asaph describes his ignorant condition and the moment when he realized that God was still with him?  He says that he was senseless, ignorant, and a brute beast before God.  Then comes the incredible realization; “yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”  The minute he came to realize his low place before God there comes an instant reassurance to his heart.  He realizes that God still loves him, God has not cast him aside.  Suddenly he grasps the fact that though he is confessing his stupidity and his ignorance before God, God has not cast him away; he is still with him, he still loves him, he still holds him and supports him!

He now realizes that it was God’s hand that had kept him from going over the brink when he was losing his footing (73:2).  It was God’s hand that held him even when he felt like he was losing his faith.  It was God who prompted him to enter the sanctuary and to worship.  Even when he despaired that God may have abandoned him, it was God that held him by his hand all along!  Notice that Asaph also says that God will guide him with His counsel.  He is looking ahead with a deep assurance and security because of what he has learned from looking back.  He knows that he can trust God despite his circumstances and despite how things might look in the moment.  God will continue to guide him all of his life. 

Do you know that God is holding you even now?  Do you realize that right now, in this very moment God has you secure in His grasp?  Regardless of what your current circumstances are, no matter what you are thinking or facing or doing, God has not and will not abandon you!

(Tune in tomorrow for the final installment this week as we look at the aazing ending to this beautiful Psalm…)


Jeff Frazier