Apr 26 (Daily reading: Psalms 73, 77-78) In tomorrow’s reading, we will be introduced to Asaph, who was among those “whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD” (1 Chron. 6:31). Asaph wrote twelve psalms, three of which we read today. They identify two questions we might ask God.
First, why do those who do not know God prosper? Even though Asaph knew that God was good, he admitted that his jealousy was a stumbling block: “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped” (73:2). As he looked more closely, Asaph concluded: “The nearness of God is good for me; I have made the Lord God my refuge, so that I may tell of all Your works” (73:28). Asaph knew God was with him, and that was sufficient!
Second, why does God appear to be absent in the present even though He has done wonderful things in the past? “I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old…” He asked, “Has His promise come to an end?” It seemed to him “that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” But even as he considered this, he knew the answer: “I will certainly remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work, and on Your deeds with thanksgiving. Your way, God, is holy; What god is great like our God?” (from 77:4-13).
Asaph faced this issue head-on in Psalm 78. “I will tell … (what) our fathers have told us…we will tell the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His power and His wondrous works that He has done” (vv. 2-4). When we do not see God’s hand in the present, we must remember His past blessings, and know that our future is secure in His hands!
– Al Gary
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