REFUGE
O LORD,
Whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible,
Order things that they may neither hinder, nor discourage me, nor prove obstacles to the progress of thy cause;
Stand between me and all strife, that no evil befall, no sin corrupt my gifts, zeal, attainments;
May I follow duty and not any foolish device of my own;
Permit me not to labour at work which thou wilt no bless, that I may serve thee without disgrace or debt;
Let me dwell in thy most secret place under thy shadow, where is safe impenetrable protection from the arrow that flieth by day, the pestilence that walketh in darkness, the strife of tongues, the malice of ill-will, the hurt of unkind talk, the snares of company, the perils of youth, the temptations of middle life, the mournings of old age, the fear of death.
I am entirely dependent upon thee for support, counsel, consolation.
Uphold me by thy free Spirit, and may I not think it enough to be preserved from falling, but may I always go forward, always abounding in the work thou givest me to do.
Strengthen me by thy Spirit in my inner self for every purpose of my Christian life.
All my jewels I give to the shadow of the safety that is in thee - my name anew in Christ, my body, soul, talents, character, my success, wife, children, friends, work, my present, my future, my end.
Take them, they are thine, and I am thine now and for ever.
Wow. Note the things he calls "jewels" in the last paragraph. Not physical precious stones, but personal things, some tangible, some not. But he gives all to God.
1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
"If the Christian life promises blessing, why do godly people struggle while unbelievers enjoy prosperity?" Asaph addresses that very question in this psalm. I've know people who have walked away from God because of struggles. Asaph "was one of the Lord's major spokesmen and a charismatic leader; yet he seriously considered packing it all in."
True spirituality "begins with honesty." We must be objective about our true feelings. I've known people who constantly lie about their true feelings, hoping that always talking positively will fix those feelings. But here, Asaph does the right thing. He pours out his feelings to the only One who can truly fix them.
(From A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)
I want to share Eugene Peterson's commentary on Psalm 73, from Conversations: The Message Bible With Its Translator (p. 852).
"Our culture has failed precisely because it is a secular culture. A secular culture is a culture reduced to a thing or a function. Typically, at least at first, people are delighted to find themselves living in such a culture. It's wonderful to have all these things coming our way without having to worry about any purpose for them beyond our own pleasure. And it's wonderful to have this incredible freedom to do so much without bothering about whether or not what we do has any meaning. But after a few years of this, our delight diminishes, and we find ourselves lonely with all the things and bored with all the freedom.
Our first response is to get more and do more, because those were the very things that made us so happy to begin with. But after a few years more of this, we find that we aren't happier. And we're left scratching our heads. Even as Christians, we're left scratching our heads.
Why? Well, it isn't because the Christian Bible has pages missing; it's because we haven't seen all there is on the pages we already have. It isn't another book we need but better attention to the Book we already have. It isn't more knowledge we need but better vision to see what has already been revealed.
That's when our desires will change. That's when we will experience true and lasting delight. And that's when we'll be able to pray with the psalmist, 'You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth!' (verse 25)."
Well stated, Mr. Peterson!
Lord, may I not be so caught up in the things of our secular culture that I consider walking away from you. I, like Asaph, have seriously wondered why the "ungodly" seem to prosper so much, while we struggle in life. but I know that I am blessed by you, no matter what I see around me. I pray that I will grow more and more entranced by you and your desires as I get older. I pray that the "stuff of earth" will not be any serious competition for my allegiance throughout the remainder of years I have to walk this earth. Give me proper vision, so that I might see all that there is to see in your Book.
THE ECONOMY
U. S. housing starts plunged by 10% in May, one month after the government ended its home-buyer tax credit,
indicating a sustained rebound has yet to get underway.
The cost of fixing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that last year bought or guaranteed � of all
U.S. home loans (and now 80% owned by U.S. taxpayers) could grow to as much as $1 trillion.
Pray for those who are endeavoring to find a way to rehabilitate our national economy.
Also pray for everyone you know who is unemployed. That's not a shameless request for prayer for me...I know people who have been out of work for a lot longer than I have. I also know people whose situations are far more desperate than mine. They all need our prayers.
Grace and peace, friends.