10 Things I learned from Psalm 73

PSALM 73

 Surely God is good to Israel,
Even to such as are pure in heart.
² But as for me, my feet were almost gone;
My steps had well nigh slipped.
³ For I was envious at the arrogant,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
⁴ For there are no pangs in their death;
But their strength is firm.
⁵ They are not in trouble as other men;
Neither are they plagued like other men.
⁶ Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck;
Violence covereth them as a garment.
⁷ Their eyes stand out with fatness:
They have more than heart could wish.
⁸ They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression:
They speak loftily.
⁹ They have set their mouth in the heavens,
And their tongue walketh through the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore his people return hither:
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
¹¹ And they say, How doth God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?
¹² Behold, these are the wicked;
And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.
¹³ Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart,
And washed my hands in innocency;
¹⁴ For all the day long have I been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
¹⁵ If I had said, I will speak thus;
Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.
¹⁶ When I thought how I might know this,
It was too painful for me;
¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God,
And considered their latter end.
¹⁸ Surely thou settest them in slippery places:
Thou castest them down to destruction.
¹⁹ How are they become a desolation in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
²⁰ As a dream when one awaketh,
So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.
²¹ For my soul was grieved,
And I was pricked in my heart:
²² So brutish was I, and ignorant;
I was as a beast before thee.
²³ Nevertheless I am continually with thee:
Thou hast holden my right hand.
²⁴ Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart faileth;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
²⁷ For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:
Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, departing from thee.
²⁸ But it is good for me to draw near unto God:
I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge,
That I may tell of all thy works.

10 Things I Learned from Psalm 73

1. It’s okay to question God
2. It’s okay to be upset when bad things happen
3. There’s an age old riddle: Why do bad things happen to good people and why do bad people prosper? This psalm isn’t an attempt to answer why.  It’s telling us something different.  It’s telling us how.
4. It’s a how to guide for dealing with pain and suffering….
5. Turn to God and embrace an eternal perspective
6. Bitterness poisons hope.  Never give in to bitterness and never lose hope.
7. We find God in the mystical embrace of worship, in sanctuaries made by man, and in our own hearts and mind
8. Let go of expectations of how someone else’s life should be.  LIVE YOUR LIFE INSTEAD!
9. Do not miss out on your full potential
10. When everything looks like it’s crumbling around you, God will stay strong.  You can count on it!