We wonder why bad things happen to good people, but we also
wonder why good things happen to bad people.
Asaph did. He was the court musician for King David, and
some of his compositions are in the book of Psalms. One of them, Psalm 73, is
his cry of bitterness that bad people seem to be doing just fine while faithful
people suffer.
He wrote the poem looking back from a position of renewed
faith, but he admits—
My feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
To him, the life of faith was an upward climb to the heights.
But bitter suspicion of God was like a stumble that would have sent him
tumbling to his death.
When the upward path of faith got unsteady, what secured
him? He wrote—
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God.
In other words, he went to a place where he could reflect on
God’s character and promises. It was from that perspective that he reassessed
the unfairness of life.
We question God’s plan sometimes. The problem isn’t just that
bad things happen to us. No, what’s galling is when bad things happen to the obedient
while good things happen to the disobedient.
This Sunday, we’ll look closely at Psalm 73 to see how to keep up the climb of
faith in those times. It’s the second week of our series, Sacred Blues. We’re looking at selected psalms where the faithful poet
reached up to God out of the midst of hardship. See you at 10!
The “Get Anchored”
Dinner is this Wednesday! On September 9, 6:30pm, join me for an
introduction to the Anchor Course. The Anchor Course is designed for those who are
trying to make up their mind about Christianity, and also for those who want to
explain the faith to others. The “Get Anchored” Dinner will introduce you to
the 8-week study that begins September 16, 6:30pm. An RSVP to the September 9 “Get
Anchored” Dinner is strongly encouraged. Contact Lisa at 512-345-3771 or lisa@hillcrest.church.
Learn more at www.Hillcrest.Church/AnchorCourse.
The Hillcrest
Institute begins this week! Find a course and register at www.Hillcrest.Church/HILL.
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