Today’s passage: Psalm 73
Helpful thoughts:
- In this Psalm, Asaph confesses to jealousy of the perceived blessings of the wicked. When he looked at his life and the lives of the wicked, on the surface, it seemed unfair.
- Verse 17 is the climax of the Psalm. When Asaph desired to take sanctuary in the riches and temporary pleasures of the wicked, he had no sanctuary. When God became his sanctuary, when he meditated/thought in truth about God, his mind was renewed/reoriented and his joy and vigor restored.
- The “strength” of the world is no strength at all. Our own “strength” is no strength at all.
- God is our strength or we have no strength.
- When we have Him we have everything.
Questions to consider:
- What are some of the desires this world seeks to offer that easily distract you? What do you see others getting that you want, that you might deem unfair to have not received?
- How do we go into “The sanctuary of God”? What roles do church, fellowship, Bible reading, memorization, prayer, etc. play into transforming and shaping our minds (Romans 12:2)? How does this help us to understand what “Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) really means?
- What was the result of Asaph’s change of mind and values? Was it just that he felt better inside? What was the fruit? (Verse 28) Will a person who truly delights in the Lord be content to keep it to themselves? To whom can you declare the goodness of God today?