Jump Start # 703

Psalms 73:2 “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps almost slipped.”

I love the honesty of this passage. The Psalmist looked at the world about him and things just didn’t look fair nor right. How he thought things ought to be was not the picture he saw. That messed with his thinking, challenged his belief and nearly caused him to give up on God.

Consider some thoughts from this verse:

• First, he reveals how he honestly felt. No cover up, no hiding his feelings, no denying things. I’d rather a person be honest, even if it is not what I want to hear, than a fake. Deceiving never helps. Deceiving self is the worst. We are so quick to say “everything’s fine,” when often that is not close to the truth. Our marriage may be sinking, our faith is dying, we don’t feel like going to worship services, and we are becoming more and more like the world. Yet, so easily and so quickly, we say, “everything is fine.” Could it be that we don’t want to face the truth. Could it be that we don’t know. Could it be that we are not honest. The Psalmist was honest. He revealed more than once in the chapter that his foot nearly slipped. He nearly fell spiritually.
• Things don’t turn out the way we think that they should. That was the problem the Psalmist experienced. He thought that the righteous ought to do better than the wicked. Yet the wicked man prospered, ate well, and died in his sleep. There didn’t seem to be any struggles in the wicked man’s life. It looks as if he was blessed all the way through. That is backward to what should have been. It is the righteous, even more, the Psalmist himself, that should have prospered. But he didn’t. He struggled. Life wasn’t easy. We are told in Isaiah that God’s ways are not our ways. Because things don’t look the way we think that should is enough for some to give up on God. They cannot explain the death of a child, the suffering of the innocent, or the struggles of the righteous. The wicked deserve to have hard times, but not the righteous, at least, not according to their way of thinking. We must never forget that we are not on the throne, God is. He is always on the throne. People do get away with murder. For some, in the short term, crime does pay. What is fair and right takes a back seat to what is unfair and not right. The righteous are persecuted. The storm comes upon those who have built their house upon the rock. This is not Heaven, nor will it ever be that way. Don’t give up on God because things are not the way we think they ought to be. Trust God. He knows what He is doing.

• If we are not careful, our feet will slip. What nearly did it for the Psalmist was not some secret and dark sin. No. It was the unfairness of the world. It might be a science class where the professor confuses a student to the point that he is not sure that God exists. It may be pulling into the parking lot at work. You get out of your old clunker and next to you is a shinny sports car that belongs to a guy that left his family for another woman. He is abusive in his language, arrogant in his attitude and lives better than you do. It may be sitting in the emergency room or the funeral home. A loved one is not doing well and she is much too young to die. She is an incredible Christian. She loves the Lord and is always doing things for others. Why is it that she has cancer? Why is her life slipping away? That is enough to crash the faith of some.

Our faith is fragile. We must keep it strong by staying in the word of God. We must look out for the things that will put holes in our boat and sink our faith.

Things do not have to make sense to us. Life does not have to get a check mark from us to be acceptable. Ours is to trust God. He knows. He is always right.

Next time, we’ll see what saved and turned the faith around for the Psalmist.

Roger

Jump Start # 702

Psalms 111:2 “Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them.”

This verse presents an interesting concept for us. The works of the Lord are studied. The KJV expresses this, “they are sought out.” The NIV: “they are pondered.” Those thoughts give us the idea of something that is thought about, considered and then sought after. Reflection and following seem to the the idea here.

I like the expression, “They are studied.” The works of the Lord are studied. There are various ways one could go about such a study. They could study them from the standpoint of science. Our ending, “ology” means study or science. Bio-logy, the study of bios or life. Zo-ology, the study of animals. A person can study the works of God from the standpoint of evidences and how they point to a design, intelligence and God. The works of God can be studied from the standpoint of theology (the study of God) and how the works affirm the promises, the deity of Christ, and the fulfillment of God’s plans. Many of our readers are familiar with Bible study—in which we study God’s word.

Study naturally leads to greater knowledge and understanding. Study of God’s word is one of the key components of building faith.

Two thoughts come from our verse today.

First, study takes time and diligence. There are no short cuts nor quick and easy ways to gain a wisdom of God’s word. Looking at words, understanding concepts, looking into backgrounds, asking questions are great ways to study God’s word. Like any field of study, basics come first. Understanding concepts of inspiration, knowing God’s will, seeing how all the books fit together are necessary to build a growing and powerful faith. A person who has studied God’s word for forty years ought to have a depth and grasp upon things that those younger in faith do not. This is not always the case. Some have been stuck in the same mode of repeating what they learned without increasing their knowledge. Shallow teaching, shallow thinking, shallow learning leads to shallow faith. A person can spend forty years in shallow waters. The study of God’s word needs to be driven by the individual and not the church. Think for yourself! Search out things. Read the Bible with a pen and paper nearby. Circle words. Underline statements. Be a spiritual detective and look for things.

Second, study changes a person. Study leads to conclusions. Study uncovers things. Study leads to faith building. The more time a person spends with God’s word the more righteous they will be. God’s word is living and active and has a way of working on a good and honest heart. It can shape, mold and transform our hearts, and then our behavior into godly people. There is a direct connection between studying God’s word and godly living. The absence is also clearly seen. The less time spent with the Bible shows. Attitudes sour. Impatience grows. Worldly thinking replaces godly thinking. Soon, living apart from God’s word becomes the norm. What’s the answer? Back to the Bible! Study God’s word. Reflect. Become.

One of the characteristics of God’s people is a knowledge of His word. Error is recognized quickly, because these people know what is right. They love truth. They are not progressive, always looking for new ways, new ideas, new truths, rather, they look backwards to His way. They are restorers, longing to return things back to God’s way.

When the storms of life come, and they always do, God’s people will stand because they have built a faith upon the foundation of God—the rock!

A student of God’s word—that’s the key!

Roger