Are you ready for some good news?
Though life leaves us with lingering questions (some of which will have no answers until Heaven), God’s Spirit has a way of satisfying our hearts with deep contentment.
Psalm 73 is a raw confession of a man of God whose intellect fell under oppressive doubts:
“Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.” (Psalm 73:1–2, ESV)
The beautiful line of verse 26, “… God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,” leads us to believe the psalmist was a priest. The priests received no portion of land when Canaan was divided among the tribes. God Himself was the priest’s portion.
In observing the seeming prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist’s soul had become “embittered” until he “went into the sanctuary of God” and “discerned their end.”
What happened in the presence of God?
The goodness of God and the ultimate poverty of the wicked became clear in the intimate place of revelation in the Spirit.
Years ago, during a memorial service for a precious parishioner, the deceased’s granddaughter shared some unforgettable words about her memories of visiting “Grandma”:
“When I was a little girl, while other children were going to Disney world, I was going to Grandma’s house. We would pack up the car in Tampa, wave to Mickey Mouse on the way past Orlando, and head north. And I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world. 921 West Street in Winston-Salem was the most comforting, interesting, exciting place to be on earth. The lightning bugs were brighter there at night; the breeze cooler from the front porch swing; the cantaloupe sweeter in the refrigerator. Someone else now lives at 921 West Street and I, along with all my cousins, only have memories of the house where Grandma lived, but that is okay. It is just fine. … I know that the home my Grandmother built will live on through the legacy of her life and her influence.”
The unconditional love of a grandmother trumps the sparkle of Disney world. The revelation of the love of God to you in Christ trumps the seeming prosperity of the wicked in this world. And that’s the Gospel!
