Confessing Our Frustration
Our prayers must freely confess our sin and foolishness; we must own up to frustration, anger, and doubt. In asking for stronger faith, we ought to acknowledge where we have shown a lack of faith.
Asaph confessed his frustrations in Psalm 73. He poured out his thoughts and feelings to God. As a good confession, though, he did more than say what God wanted him to say. Confession involves an understanding of our error.
Asaph was frustrated. He took the evil around him personally (see vs. 2-16). He admits to being envious of the foolish who seemed to prosper rather than the godly. They seemed to have "more than heart could wish" (v.7). Asaph was bothered that the ungodly seemed immune from the consequences of their own sin. They were corrupt and arrogant (v. 8) and spoke freely against God (v. 9), yet they increased in riches (v. 12). Personally, Asaph was heartsick: "My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped" (v.2) and "it was too painful for me" (v. 16).
These words of Asaph are not words of godly wisdom. They are rather his confession of the foolishness of such thinking. In recalling how he thought about the ungodly, he says, "So foolish was I...as a beast..." (v. 22).
Asaph's words were his personal reaction to evil. Like an animal that thinks first of its own needs, Asaph had a false perspective, a limited viewpoint.
What pulled Asaph out of the spiritual dumps? It happened when he went into the sanctuary of God (v. 17). Then, he said, he understood. In the temple, it was clear that God was central. There Asaph remembered that sin was against God, not him. He re-evaluated his perspective.
Once Asaph refocused on the primacy of God, he saw not the prosperity of the wicked but their certain destruction (vs. 18-19). He was grieved by his foolishness in focusing on sinners rather than God. He had previously erred in seeing sin from a human perspective -- they are evil but they prosper; I am righteous but I suffer; I am discouraged.
In the sanctuary the centrality of God was apparent. Asaph's epiphany was in realizing that He is always central despite man's limited perspective. It was not Asaph's any more than it is our place to feel indignant or frustrated over offenses against God. He is in charge and the pride of the wicked in their evil should only confirm to us the certainty of their judgment.
Sin is not against us, so we must get beyond personal frustration. What must be personal is our own responsibility to righteousness. Realizing that God governs all keeps us from focusing on the evil and gives us peace. We must learn, with Asaph, that we must let God be the Judge of the wicked. It is not for us to be indignant at evil because the wicked never for a moment escape God.
Asaph confessed his frustrations in Psalm 73. He poured out his thoughts and feelings to God. As a good confession, though, he did more than say what God wanted him to say. Confession involves an understanding of our error.
Asaph was frustrated. He took the evil around him personally (see vs. 2-16). He admits to being envious of the foolish who seemed to prosper rather than the godly. They seemed to have "more than heart could wish" (v.7). Asaph was bothered that the ungodly seemed immune from the consequences of their own sin. They were corrupt and arrogant (v. 8) and spoke freely against God (v. 9), yet they increased in riches (v. 12). Personally, Asaph was heartsick: "My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped" (v.2) and "it was too painful for me" (v. 16).
These words of Asaph are not words of godly wisdom. They are rather his confession of the foolishness of such thinking. In recalling how he thought about the ungodly, he says, "So foolish was I...as a beast..." (v. 22).
Asaph's words were his personal reaction to evil. Like an animal that thinks first of its own needs, Asaph had a false perspective, a limited viewpoint.
What pulled Asaph out of the spiritual dumps? It happened when he went into the sanctuary of God (v. 17). Then, he said, he understood. In the temple, it was clear that God was central. There Asaph remembered that sin was against God, not him. He re-evaluated his perspective.
Once Asaph refocused on the primacy of God, he saw not the prosperity of the wicked but their certain destruction (vs. 18-19). He was grieved by his foolishness in focusing on sinners rather than God. He had previously erred in seeing sin from a human perspective -- they are evil but they prosper; I am righteous but I suffer; I am discouraged.
In the sanctuary the centrality of God was apparent. Asaph's epiphany was in realizing that He is always central despite man's limited perspective. It was not Asaph's any more than it is our place to feel indignant or frustrated over offenses against God. He is in charge and the pride of the wicked in their evil should only confirm to us the certainty of their judgment.
Sin is not against us, so we must get beyond personal frustration. What must be personal is our own responsibility to righteousness. Realizing that God governs all keeps us from focusing on the evil and gives us peace. We must learn, with Asaph, that we must let God be the Judge of the wicked. It is not for us to be indignant at evil because the wicked never for a moment escape God.
