Asaph the Backslider- Psalm 73

 Asaph was miserable

 
  
In a more general sense, He could not reconcile a Righteous God, who failed blessing the righteous and allowed the wicked to be prosperous. Asaph had lost  his joy and life had become a monotonous grind.
In this blog, I am interested in the process that enabled him to get out of his present state of mind and to submit to His Lord God. 

Asaph's reflection
The way back to the Lord became evident to him when he reflected on the reason why all these things had happened to him. The (Hebrew word that is used for reflection is s Chashab' which means to  consider, be mindful of, to reckon).. In fact he says in 73:21-22, When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; It is a short jump between not reading the word of God and being a beast before .." Beasts do not have the ability to self reflect. Every thing they do is driven by instinct. It is easy in our "pace-addicted world" to rush through our days and not even think about what God may be doing in our lives. Asaph started pondering  and then after being troubled he went to the temple of God. It was there that the LORD revealed to him that the wicked would be judged under the wrath of God.  If you want to ponder and meditate on something, go to the word of God, in both the Old and New Testaments.

The turning point for Asaph

(Psalm  73:17 tells us: "Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end)."The temple  was where the priests read the word of God and taught it to the people of Israel. It was there where the Triune  Holy God dwelt above the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Today the sanctuary of God is the church, not the building but those who together to worship God, to hear his word, and to pray.
Asaph further says about the wicked in 
Psalm 73:18-19; "Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!"

But that wasn't all; he had learned other things during this enlightenment by the Holy Spirit. 

The first lesson. He learned that no matter what the circumstances, God was holding on to his right hand.

Another lesson  was that the Lord would  guide him daily by the word of God (his counsel.

A third lesson he learned  was,that at the end of his life the LORD would transfer him from earth to heaven.  There in Heaven, he would experience the outcome of His salvation, perfect joy and without sin.

A fourth lesson he learned was that no matter how great the perceived injustice and how deep the sorrow,the greatest thing on earth and in heaven was that he knew and loved God and needed no one else but Him.

A fifth lesson , he learned that even though his  flesh and his heart  failed,  God was the strength of his heart and his portion forever. SB.

Please look at our two books, The  Pastoral Handbook of Mental Ilness and Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like Your'e Losing It. 
How do you get them.http://sbloemreflections.blogspot.com/2018/07/why-should-every-church-have-copy-of.html