Psalm 73 is an interesting literary composition from the bible. The opening words of Asaph paint a daunting picture of a soul disillusioned because of life’s circumstances. He has difficulty coming to terms with disruption in his life while contending with the prosperity of the wicked. He loses sight of God’s benevolence and sinks into despair because life has dealt him a hard blow. For a moment, he feels neglected by God because what he has gained from a righteous life is inequitable compared to the prosperity of the wicked.
We all have our fair share of the Asaph experience. When we bear witness to evil people prospering absent of scruples or morality, it is easy to lose sight of God’s promises. Like Asaph, we view most things through our physical eyes, forgetting we serve a God who also operates in the spiritual realm. What seems real to us does not show an accurate picture of what God is doing. Our Asaph moments inform us that God has abandoned us in our darkest hour, but is far from the truth.
The first few verses of Psalm 73 capture a soul in torment. He does not understand why God had left him in his time of need. He struggles to come to grips with all his trials and sufferings while the wicked were basking in abundance. It did not seem fair to him that the wicked would prey on the righteous while God looked on with little or no concern. In our Asaph moments, the scales appear unbalanced and we are tempted to throw up our hands in despair. But God has a lesson for Asaph. The prosperity of the wicked is just an illusion.
Verses 21-28 Asaph has an epiphany. He comes to his senses; he wakes up from the pit of despair, recognizing God’s goodness. Asaph now understands his plight has not escaped God’s attention. While his circumstances distracted him, God had not ceased working on his behalf. He feels foolish for allowing himself to believe God was more concerned about the affairs of the unrighteous than the faithful. Does this sound like us sometimes? Do we see a bit of Asaph in how we function daily?
Even when things don’t add up in our lives, let us not forget God has only good intentions towards us. God’s motives are pure and the ways of the wicked do not disrupt His plans. Let us not evaluate our lives against what the wicked seem to get away with in this life. If we get caught up with giving the unrighteous too much attention, we will lose sight of God’s faithfulness.
The next time we have our Asaph moment, remember what appears on the surface does not tell the entire story of what God is doing. It is difficult to wait for God to work things out for us, but it is worth the wait. While we are waiting, we may lose our faculties for a moment, but don’t forget God will always prove Himself faithful. God will not leave the faithful to feel around in the dark. We are always on his mind and His promises are sure. Like Asaph, when we come to a fork in the road, let us remember God is faithful.
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