**A friend from my bible study sent this to our small group, so I wanted to also share it on my blog! The notes are his, not mine, and his approach on Psalm 73 is simply amazing!! Enjoy :)**
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.4 They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and strong.5 They don’t have troubles like other people;
they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
and clothe themselves with cruelty.7 These fat cats have everything
their hearts could ever wish for!8 They scoff and speak only evil;
in their pride they seek to crush others.9 They boast against the very heavens,
and their words strut throughout the earth.10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
drinking in all their words.11 “What does God know?” they ask.
“Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”12 Look at these wicked people—
enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
**Sometimes we looking to the success of others for direction in our own lives, and while there are definitely positive role models – we can sometimes also be caught in a trap of comparing the progress of our lives, to the successes and prosperity of others that we’ve had differences with (exes, old business partners, college rivals, ex-workmates, separated friends etc). Read on for an inkling of Asaph’s wisdom.
13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.
**We can feel like we’ve been doing the right thing, serving diligently, following in faith and yet it still feels like we’re still fighting an uphill battle. And sometimes this battle is even harder to fight when your vision is clouded by the prosperity of others, and not on the focus of your fight.
15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
I would have been a traitor to your people.16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
**Asaph submits to God, and wisdom is His answer. He learns that there’s a slippery path for success, and the wicked are even more susceptible to falling, but a hope for failure comes from a heart of bitterness. There has definitely been times where I’ve been bitter about the success of others who have wronged me, and Asaph frames it perfectly when he explains that this bitterness is the weakness of our heart.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
**”My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart..”
**That one verse blew me away. Be centred in God, and He will be the centre of your strength. Everything else is taken care of.
