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Author: Paul Beckman, from the Word of Life in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

A God’s-eye view of reality

Psalm 73 says, “But for me it is good to be near God…” (Psalm 73:28)

Have you heard someone say, “I only want what’s best for you”? In this Psalm, the author, Asaph, struggles with the question of ultimate goodness. At first, he is confident and certain: “Surely God is good to Israel” (Psalm 73: 1). From there, it’s downhill for 15 verses. He sees wicked people prospering and no-one calling them to account. He is clearly anxious about the state of the world around him – it’s all upside down and backwards. He even wonders if it’s worth following God.

What reverses the downward trajectory? The Psalmist enters the Lord’s holy place (Psalm 73:17) and sees three things. First, God will judge evil and the world will be made right. Second, being worried and anxious is a poison that eats us up. Asaph has been foolish to worry that the Lord won’t fulfill his sovereign purposes. God is in control. (Psalm 73:18-22)

The third and most important thing is he realizes that God is always present, always strong, always faithful. Even if our health fails and we grow weak (Psalm 73:26), the Lord is enough for us. Even when we complain and are shaken, we belong to him and he is ours. He holds us by the hand, gives us wisdom, and leads us to a glorious destiny (Psalm 73:23-25).

Being in the Lord’s presence reorders Asaph’s sense of what’s important. What’s important is not having our lives full of prosperity and free from trials. What’s important is being near to the God who is near to us. When we find this truth, reality comes back into focus.

Where are the places in our lives where we need a God’s-eye view of life? It’s in his presence, being with him, that brings us vision for today and eternity.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.