Today I bring you words and thoughts of encouragement from Psalm 73:1-7Certainly God is good to Israel,
and to those whose motives are pure!
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me.
3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed
the prosperity
of the wicked.
4 For they suffer no pain;
their bodies
are strong and well-fed.
5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do.
6 Arrogance is their necklace,
and violence their clothing.
7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong;
their thoughts are sinful.
8 They mock
and say evil things;
they proudly threaten violence.
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth.
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea.
11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?”
12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like,
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.
13 I concluded,
“Surely in vain I have kept my motives
pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle.
14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
15 If I had publicized these thoughts,
I would have betrayed your loyal followers.
16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me.
17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple,
and understood the destiny of the wicked.
Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (
Ps 73:1-17). Biblical Studies Press.
I have been struggling with this text since Feb 26, 2009. How could this text be such a picture of today. The words sucking up water from the sea. Today we suck up water from the sea, that is a reality.
In reading this Psalm I felt convicted, I often feel with all I have that I am a walking proud one this psalm talks about.
"Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer."
Is this really me, am I wicked. I do have it to easy. I have spent days pondering this. I felt very much like the follow quote from the Psalm.
"When I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling to me. "
I read the following lines over and over.'8 They mock and say evil things; they proudly threaten violence.
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea.
11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” '
Today after all this reflection it came to me that maybe my hope is in the fact that I know that God sees all that I do both bad and good. I try to live in the freedom of God's grace, moment by moment not sinning intentionally but accepting the grace when I stumble. I only hope that I do not project an image that people would think that I speak as one who thinks they rule heaven.
So maybe it all boils down to realizing that God is in control and all authority rests in Him. In that condition God can use us to His Glory
This Psalm does not say that you have to be down and out to be right with God. But it does say that there are signs of being wicked. The most important sign is not recognizing God's authority over all we say, do and have.
When we struggle we are forced to depend on God. In that dependence, God is in full control. We still have to walk and do and try our best, but as we yield to God's nudges and accept His authority He uses us in His story. This does not mean we will be in a constant state of struggle, but through our struggles we become aware of the follies of the wicked and understand what is important. With this strength and insite we can assist our brothers and sisters in their struggles. Bringing God's glory, justice and light to this dark world we live in.
Note that often God uses the wicked and their wealth as store houses to attend to the needs of those struggling in their walk in this world.
Use us Lord for your Glory
Amen
Musical Encouragement: My life is in your hands-Kathy Troccoli
