When the Heart Cries Out for God: A Look Into Psalmsنموونە

Day 5: The Lenses of Truth

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:25-26 NLT)

Asaph (or one of his descendants) saw the prosperity of the wicked and felt like he was losing his faith over it. It didn’t fit the promises of the covenant, as he understood it. After all, God had clearly said he would bless the faithful and discipline the ungodly. That was an inviolable premise of Deuteronomy 28 and affirmed in Scripture elsewhere. From Asaph’s perspective, as he watched the corruption of his society and the success of his enemies, God seemed not to be keeping the terms of his own agreement.

The catalyst that changed Asaph’s understanding was spending time in God’s sanctuary (73:17)—specifically the Temple or Tabernacle. An encounter with God’s presence always changes the way we see things, and Asaph realized he was using present circumstances to make final judgments. Looking at the middle of the story, the wicked were indeed doing well; looking at the end of it, they were not. When God placed the lenses of truth over Asaph’s eyes, Asaph saw how precarious the position of the ungodly actually was.

Re-Envision the Whole Picture

Many of us have a natural tendency to assume that the way things are now is the way they always will be. We get mired in the midst of adversity and begin to project all sorts of bad outcomes from it. Whether from hard experiences or a pessimistic worldview, we hope for the best but brace for hardship. And when we go through unjust, discouraging, threatening situations, we fix our eyes on them and let them draw us into bitterness.

Spiritual eyes see a much bigger picture: the whole plot, ultimate endings, the destiny God has in store for those who love him and those who don’t. We recognize all the possibilities and promises of God and trust that he is working behind the scenes. We assume a larger story than what our eyes are telling us. And that changes everything.

Seeing what’s at stake in our lives sends us into the presence and protection of God. Like the psalmist, we realize what lasts and want to anchor ourselves in him. We cling to him with our lives because he is our life. There’s nothing of greater value in heaven or on earth, nothing more desirable, no worthier affection. Whatever happens around us, whatever illusions the world presents to us, the lenses of truth drive us directly to him, where we can stand strong and rest secure forever.