A right attitude in the face of trials

DAILY BIBLE READING:

Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20
Luke 9:28-50
Psalm 73:1-28
Proverbs 12:10

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 73:25-26 (CSB) "Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

The verses for today are so heart-warming, aren't they? They sound like they were uttered by someone who doesn't have a care in the world ... until you read the rest of the Psalm.

I love the realness of the Psalms. The writers don't gloss over the difficulties or seeming inconsistencies of life.

In Psalm 73, the writer is struggling to understand how the wicked are prospering. All the while, he is following the Lord and is struggling.

Listen as he expresses his heart's question:

"Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning." (Psalm 73:13-14)

Do you hear what he's saying? He's struggling to understand if following the Lord is worth it in light of the fact that his days are filled with grief.

At its core is the erroneous belief that a good heart should always be rewarded with an easy, pleasant life. We struggle with this attitude, too, don't we?

"God, why did this happen to me? After all that I've done for You, why is my life so hard? It's not fair!"

Well, friend, the Psalmist realized that to get himself to a right place, he had to change his thinking. He had to focus on something else.

So, what does he do? He focuses on his God and eternity...

"When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God's sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. Indeed, you put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors. Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, you will despise their image." (Psalm 73:16-20)

The writer looked to eternity and realized that the current injustices were only temporary. Eventually, we will all head to our eternal reward. Those who reject Christ will spend eternity in Hell regardless of how pleasant and exciting their lives seemed on earth. Those who have submitted their lives to Christ will enjoy the splendors of Heaven forever regardless of how difficult their life was here on earth.

This mindset is what led the Psalmist to express his adoration for his God.

Psalm 73:25-26 (CSB) "Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever." 

The guy who wrote this didn't have an easy life. Instead, his life was filled with questions, difficulties, and frustrations. Yet, he chose to focus on the Lord in spite of it all. He looked to his eternal reward and found joy in it. It is in light of this that he was able to come to a positive mindset in the face of life's trials.

We can do the same, friend. If life gets us down, we can look to Heaven and realize that our God is to be enjoyed both in eternity and today.

But, as New Testament believers, we also realize that we are never to be satisfied that the wicked are headed to Hell. It should break our hearts. We have wonderful Good News that can bring new life to the hardest of hearts. Let's be open today to share the Gospel with whoever God will send our way.