Promptings: Mysteries
Scripture Reading — Psalm 73
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary …
Psalm 73:16–17
Sometimes God uses mysteries or puzzles to turn our minds to seek him out in a fresh, new way.
When life presents us with something that is not easily explained or understood, it just might be a prompting from God to seek him in a new way.
Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, was painfully baffled. Worse, he nearly lost his faith in God. He was enraged when he saw an injustice that made no sense to him at all. On the one hand, he saw honest, upright people seemingly getting nowhere in life but suffering immensely from poverty, disease, and mistreatment. On the other hand, he saw corrupt people living like kings, having the finest foods, in great health, and savoring praise from others. These inconsistencies infected him with envy but also drove him to God for answers.
That meant going to the sanctuary. There, looking from the perspective of eternity, he was given the gift of being able to see this situation as God sees it. What a difference! He learned how insecure those crooks really were. They were standing on “slippery” ground. Their worlds were fragile, and their collapse was imminent, because they were far from God.
Suddenly Asaph saw how senseless his envy had been and how he was truly blessed.
Thank God for mysteries that draw us to him!
Father, when life looks terribly unfair to me, and I can’t make any sense of it, help me to seek you in your sanctuary. Show me your wisdom, Lord. For Jesus’ sake, Amen
About the author — Kenneth D. Koeman
Rev. Ken Koeman is a pastor at Bellevue, Washington, Christian Reformed Church. He has written Today devotions in past years and has also authored numerous articles for The Banner, the magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. Ken and his wife, Kay, live in Bellevue and have two children and five grandchildren.
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