Morgan Teruel: As we continue reading through the Psalms, I invite you to join me as we read Psalm 73 today. Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
They seem to live such painless lives. Their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people. They're not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.
These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for. They scoff and speak only evil. In their pride, they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused drinking in all their words.
What does God know they ask? Does the most high even know what's happening? Look at these people, these wicked people enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
I get nothing but trouble all day long. Every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper, but what a difficult task it is. Then I went into your sanctuary, oh God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant, they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, Oh Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my heart was bitter and I was torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant.
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you, yet I still belong to you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail and my spirit maker a week, but God remains the strength of my heart. He is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish for you destroy those who abandon you. 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.
And reflecting on this Psalm, I think it's the one of the most human Psalms that connects with our pattern of emotions, maybe our own bitterness, our own sort of back and forth from wanting justice to be brought on or feeling like something's unfair, but then also trying to remember who God is, how he operates in his own time and then all that he's done for us. When I look specifically at verse sixteen and seventeen, I'm struck sort of by that moment where Asaph, the writer of the Psalm switches. He says, so I tried to understand why the wicked prosper, what a difficult task it is. Then I went into your sanctuary, oh God, and finally understood the destiny of the wicked. I think there's so many moments like that where we need to be brought into the sanctuary of God to remember who he is and let his presence kind of overwhelm the rest of our emotions to recenter us, to recalibrate some of those emotions that we have.
And so today, we pray, I want to pray that that we would rest in those promises of who God is and that he does come through. So would you pray with me? Lord, we recognize that in our humanness, we have these feelings, these emotions sometimes of bitterness, of wondering where you are and why you aren't doing what we expected you to do. But God, will we be reminded in your presence, in your sanctuary that you are our heart's portion, that you're the strength of our heart, that you will come through and that we can trust you, that we can wait on you and that ultimately you are a just God. Would you help us remember that today?
Amen.