"Badgered" might be a better word than
"encouraged." It's like in the months of November and December,
Christian and non-Christian America alike is saying, "It doesn't matter if
you're having problems with the mortgage or if your job is in peril or if all
three of your children are crying because two of them peed down their only
clean set of clothes and the third one dropped his banana in the dirt--if
you're not feeling particularly thankful, it's your fault for not seeing the
bigger picture in this season of thanks, so get with the program and be
thankful already!"
But what do you do if your smile is fake? If, sure, you're
thankful for a roof over your head, clothes in your closet, and food on the
table...but truthfully? Your heart still focuses on the "don't
have's," on the corrupt, evil people around you whose prosperity and
happiness seem to flourish while you struggle daily in silence just to make
ends meet?
What then?
I've been stuck on Psalm 73 for three weeks. Yes--three
weeks. I've tried to get away from it, but David's words have stuck in my mind
like play dough on the bottom of my children's shoes:
"Surely God is
good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had
almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I
saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. 73: 1-3).
These words grip me. This testimony could easily be mine
when everything seems to be going wrong for me (and, as I'm convinced in those
moments, only me).
Like David, I know that I know that God is good to those who
are "pure in heart," but sometimes, my foot dangles over the cliff as
I look into the darkness of sin flaunted openly by people I know...and without
knowing it, my heart sparks green envy as I watch them live lives of ease while
I seek righteousness yet struggle.
David continues, describing the "wonderful" life
the sinful masses seem to lead:
"They have no
struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human
burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with
arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their
tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and
drink up waters in abundance. They say, 'How would God know? Does the Most High
know anything?' This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go
on amassing wealth" (v. 4-12).
In those moments, this is what I envy--the ungodly who have
no struggles weighing on their minds, who are chiseled visions of health and
strength, whose overwhelming greed reaps enormous wealth, whose actions reap no
consequences.
Their mouths speak God's name, post God's name, tweet God's
name...they even quote Scripture when it's convenient. But in the next moment,
their tongues lap up the fleshly fruits of the earth and feast off the sinful
vices that bring worldly pleasure.
Upon seeing these people, David says, "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and
every morning brings new punishments" (v. 13-14).
This is not a thought I've ever voiced, but like David, like
Habakkuk, like Jeremiah--I've asked God why the righteous suffer while the
wicked seem to go unchecked in their sin. And, if I'm honest, in the asking is
a hint of envy at their ease.
When David enters God's sanctuary, though, he remembers who
God is--a holy, righteous judge whose very nature requires Him to judge all
sin. And in that moment, he says, "Surely
you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are
they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! They are like a dream when
one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies"
(v. 18-20).
You may not feel thankful every second of this Thanksgiving
week. I know my fleshly limitations, and I can promise you that I won't.
But when the grumbly feelings of unthankfulness threaten to
consume you, when the green-eyed monster rears his head, when sin seems to go
unchecked around you--remember, remember, remember…
Who. God. Is.
Pub. 11.02.10
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