Psalms 73 - Part One

Psalm 73:1-6

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.

They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.

Therefore, pride is their necklace;
    they clothe themselves with violence. 

Psalm 73 is a chapter of Scripture that was the inspiration for naming our ministry “Asaph Talks.” Asaph was a musician who served in the temple worship of God during the time of King David. Asaph authored Psalm 50 and Psalm 73-83. I love the honesty, authenticity, and raw description of his feelings that Asaph wrote in Psalm 73. I want our ministry to display that same honesty and authenticity, therefore, we named our ministry after Asaph.  As we unpack the first six verses in chapter 73, I want to share some things that stood out to me:

-Asaph starts off by offering reverence and respect to God by reiterating that God is good to Israel.

-Then, he begins to confess his shortcomings and describes that he was in the process of slipping and losing focus.

-Finally, he describes in vivid detail why he felt that way. He shares with God that the wicked are prospering and growing old with what seems to be no consequences for their wickedness. 

This is a very honest confession for Asaph to take to God. He didn’t pretend that all was well and lie to God about how he was feeling. He let God know exactly how he was feeling and what he was dealing with. As we pray this week, let’s be honest with God. Let’s go to him with our shortcomings and doubts and present them to Him for restoration and completion. After all, God’s Word tells us we can approach His throne with boldness.

Hebrews 4:16

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.