(By Diego Cuartas)
So many times I find myself trying to figure out certain aspect of life, and as an introvert person this can become a wearisome task. Really, there are days when I feel like my mind can become a “mined zone”–you know the kind of zone where you step on something and something pops and triggers another thought that you don’t seem to be able to shake easily? Soon, I find that I am going into a vicious cycle trying to understand someone, something or myself.
Where do you turn for help when this happens? Where can I anchor my soul so that I can rest assured that there is a more fruitful path for me?
Recently, I have found lots of help in what someone wrote in the 73th chapter of the book of Psalms. I am so thankful when I find perspective such as this! It is like stumbling upon a little treasure that someone has purposefully placed in my path for my good, for my encouragement. I hope it is for yours as well.
So this man, we read in the chapter, tried to understand on his own the path and outcomes of those who do evil. In the process, he becomes embittered, pricked in heart and ignorant–to the point of event having a different attitude towards God. Furthermore, he regards his situation as “slippery” because he became envious of the ones he was critical of.
What changed for this man is that he had an encounter with God, as he entered the place where he would seek and find God. When this happened, he obtained the clarity to discern what he was not able to discern before. “I discerned their end”, he said. But there is more. He goes on to acknowledge four key things:
1. “…I am continually with you [God]“
2. “…you [God] hold my right hand”
3. “…you [God] guide me with your counsel”, and
4. “…afterward you [God] will receive me to glory”
These truths revealed to him by God lead him to conclude, later in the chapter, that God can be trusted to give strength to his heart and to be his portion forever–that in God he will find everything he will ever need regardless of his circumstances. Even though he knows that his heart “may fail” him again and he may find himself in a new situation trying to figure out life, others or himself, or being envious or proud, he knows where he will find strength and the life resources he will need. In his mind there is no question that the best place to be is to be near God!
We can see from this man’s story that help really comes from God and from him doing two things: being present in our lives and offering his knowledge and resources to us. The most encouraging news I see in this story is that before I even seek God He is already there with me. He is not far, but rather near. What He is doing in my life and yours on any given moment is more than what we can realize or even grasp.
I therefore can confidently say that all the perspective I have found in this Psalm is not something I stumbled upon, I can see now that I was guided to it by the God who is with me, walks with me and guides me.
He is with you too!
