[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (AG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟛:𝟙-𝟚,
𝟚𝟠
"Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart! But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped."
Psalm 73 has become one of my
favorite Psalms in the Bible. It's about the goodness of God that actually
looks like the badness of God. 😃
The Psalmist knew that God is good
but to him, God seemed so mean and cruel. I had those feelings many times over
the years. This psalm narrated how those feelings came over him and how he
overcame them. He also discovered the goodness of God in a far better and deeper
way in v28, which is also the conclusion of this Psalm.
"But as for me, the nearness
of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all
Your works."
It begins and ends with the theme
of the goodness of God.
God, helping you get through the exam,
get a job, a career, answering your prayers, prospering you will indeed make us
feel that God is good. But the goodness of God is much more than all these
things. In fact, even without all these things, we can still experience the
goodness of God.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟜:𝟙
"O God, why have You rejected
us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?"
Who has not felt the rejection of
God? They say, "The world, your friends, your family members will disappoint
you but Jesus will not disappoint you."
Nah! The psalmist and saints of the
past had been into a lot of troubles and disappointments. But in the words of
apostle Paul, "but not like those without hope" because we know we
are His sheep of His pasture.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟝:𝟟
"But God is the Judge; He puts
down one and exalts another."
Let's learn to stay calm and happy
because of who God is.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟞:𝟟
"You, even You, are to be
feared; And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?"
It’s not safe to make anyone angry.
Even kids when they are made angry react dangerously.
I am terrified when I let my loved
one get angry, annoyed, or upset.
But who can face an angry God of
the universe?
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟟:𝟛
"When I remember God, then I
am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah."
Have you ever encountered such
situation? I think so! It's in the Bible too.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟠:𝟞-𝟟
"That the generation to come
might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them
to their children, That they should put their confidence in God And not forget
the works of God, But keep His commandments,"
Responsibility for teaching future
generations about the greatness of God! That's more important and basic than
getting a matric certificate.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟟𝟡:𝟙𝟛
"So we Your people and the
sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we
will tell of Your praise."
What a God-centred prayer! Asking
God for His name's sake and His glory!
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟘:𝟜
"O LORD God of hosts, How long
will You be angry with the prayer of Your people?"
Have you ever failed like your
prayers are in vain? This psalm should encourage us that such trials happen in
the life of a saint of God.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟙:𝟙𝟙-𝟙𝟚
"But My people did not listen
to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. "So I gave them over to the
stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices."
Disobedience leads to stubbornness
to damnation.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟚:𝟙
"God takes His stand in His
own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers."
Since God is the ultimate Judge
it's good to commit everything to God.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟛:𝟙𝟛
"O my God, make them like the
whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind."
A verse to remember when wicked
schemes/plans/ people are coming up.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟜:𝟙𝟙
"For the LORD God is a sun and
shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from
those who walk uprightly."
The goodness of God towards His
people. Now, I have got to believe.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟝:𝟙𝟚
"Indeed, the LORD will give
what is good, And our land will yield its produce."
I know God is good but used to
wonder whether God has been good enough to me. "Enough" for me is God
granting me whatever my heart sincerely craves.
Psalms 73 and 84 and even this v12
have lifted me up from the pit of doubt — God has been good to me. And He shall
only give what is only good.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟞:𝟝,
𝟙𝟟
"For You, Lord, are good, and
ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon
You."
"Show me a sign for good, That
those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, O LORD, have helped
me and comforted me."
Our prayers reflect our beliefs.
Who does not want to see the goodness of God in his life? It is to believe God
is good and whatever He does is good and for our own good.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟟:𝟚
"The LORD loves the gates of
Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob."
God's love expressed in human
terminology. Even Apostle John introduced himself as the disciple whom Jesus
loved as if he was most favored by Christ. The fact is we all should feel like
that. That I am most beloved by God.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟠:𝟙
"O LORD, the God of my
salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You."
The Scripture has given us enough examples
of unceasing prayer. Not to give up. To trust God in the midst of trials and
sufferings. Yes, even when help is out of sight.
ℙ𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕞
𝟠𝟡:𝟛𝟛
"But I will not break off My
lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness."
The Faithfulness of God and the
Lovingkindness of God is greater than any sin I can ever commit or think of.
Not a license to live carelessly but to live confidently.