Asaph

 If prosperity and worldly possessions are how you measure the favor and blessing of God, then you’re likely as troubled in your spirit as Asaph was when he wrote the seventy-third Psalm, at least the first few verses. His angst was severe enough that he had to sit down and write out what he was experiencing because he looked upon the wicked and saw them prospering, and nobody bothered to tell him he was using the wrong metrics.

I’m not saying it’s easy to get away from the mindset of equating prosperity with God’s favor. I’m saying it’s necessary if you want to keep from falling into the snare of allowing for things in your life that God abhors simply because another who is living in sin just bought their dream home for cash.

In his brutal honesty, Asaph even confessed that his feet almost stumbled, not because the way was too difficult or the attacks were so great, but because he was envious of the boastful, and he saw the prosperity of the wicked.

It’s a good lesson to learn early, basic as it may be, but don’t worry about how others are walking; worry about how you are. If you look ahead of you and the path is clear, and there are no potholes, cracks, slippery bits, or obstructions, then take the time to warn someone that they’re about to fall into a hole. If you haven’t mapped out your journey, if you don’t know what’s waiting around the bend, if you haven’t taken the time to see where you are planting your feet, worry about you first.

It’s not selfish; it’s practical. It’s the same reason airlines insist that if you are traveling with a minor or someone in need of assistance and there’s an issue with the cabin pressure, you should put your mask on first and then assist the person next to you. Why? Because if you’re trying to help them, and you pass out while attempting to, then both of you are in danger of losing your lives.

It’s the reason I’m less than enthusiastic about new believers spending all their time witnessing and none of it building up their faith. I understand that it’s like seeing colors for the first time, breathing fresh air, or hearing music, but to drag others out of the deep, your feet must first be planted on solid ground, a solid foundation from which you will not be moved, shaken, or otherwise made to stumble.

Psalm 73:2-3, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

Although he doesn’t specify, odds are this took place during Asaph’s spiritual infancy. I am confident in making this statement because the more you grow in God, the more you mature and become seasoned, and the more your perspective shifts regarding what can be deemed a blessing or a grace. The more you grow in God, the less the things of the world matter, and the weights and measures you use to define His favor transform.

The way you see everything changes when you are in the presence of God. How you judge everything changes when you spend time with Him and receive the metanoia He promises to those who would humble themselves and seek His face.

Psalm 73:16-17, “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me – until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.”

And there it is. Asaph’s epiphany, his Eureka moment, the instant everything made sense. He was trying to make sense of why the wicked prospered; he was trying to make sense of why bad things seemed to happen to good people, as the saying goes, and while he was away from the sanctuary of God, while he was removed from God’s presence, his logical mind couldn’t reconcile the situation.

Just thinking about it all was too painful for him until he went into the sanctuary of God, and his mind expanded and transformed and was renewed. He understood the end of the wicked; he saw the temporary nature of their frivolity and glee. His perception shifted from the temporal to the eternal, and he became a man at peace.

How do you see what you see? What angle and vantage point do you see it from? Do you compare yourself with the giants in the land, or do you compare the giants in the land to the God you serve?

If you’re comparing yourself to the giants in the land, if you try to match your strength to theirs, you will live in perpetual fear and defeat because everyone knows you can’t take on a giant. If, however, you’re comparing the giants in the land to your God and walk in His power and authority, then you’ll stand before them with a slingshot and some stones and be at peace, fearless, and strong because you know the battle isn’t yours but His.

Everything the world projects is an illusion. Their joy is a mask, their treasures fool’s gold, and their temptations sorrowful ruin. This is well-known and evident, yet so many continue to be seduced by it. The day approaches when the godless will be brought to desolation as in a moment, and they will be utterly consumed with terrors. The godly will rejoice because they will know the strength of their God and the refuge and safety they have under the shadow of His wings.

Psalm 73:27-28, “For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.