Day 5 - thursday, March 20

Have you ever felt this way before? Sometimes I know in my mind that “God is good” (v. 1), but my experience points me elsewhere: there is evil in the world, and nothing seems to be done about it. Recently I’ve even strongly desired to draw close to God, but have had difficulty coming into his presence. There are times when people do good and aren’t rewarded, or when people hurt others and seem not to face any consequences. Where is the hope in this situation? Where is God’s goodness, which I firmly believe in but don’t see playing out?

Psalm 73 is written by someone in this situation, and is an answer to those questions. It’s worth taking time to read the first 15 verses slowly and carefully: there really is evil in the world and the psalmist here really grapples with that. More than half of the psalm is spent wrestling with that.

Yet there is still justice. Just like we saw at the beginning of the week, in Psalm 127, God is still in control. He is good and loving and patient and faithful and caring and kind. Though we are weak and cannot overcome on our own, “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (v. 26); “…for me it is good to be near God.” Spend some time with the following questions, yourself, to grapple with the reality of the world and God’s goodness, and forgiveness of sin, in light of it. Make the Lord God your refuge, that you may tell of all his works (v. 28)!

The psalmist in this chapter is talking about not trusting God, or not trusting God’s goodness, because he sees how immoral people are prosperous. “If bad things happen to those who follow him, and good things happen to those who don’t, how can God be good?” Have you experienced that feeling on the island or in life generally? How do you feel when you witness injustice like that?
What is the answer that he finds, by the end of the psalm? What is the turning point where he begins to understand?
vv. 21-22 – Examine your thoughts and actions over the past few days. Are there any ways in which you have been “embittered” or “pricked in heart” against other people? Against God?
If you are able to do so sincerely, take a few minutes to confess that to God and ask for forgiveness, and strength from him to desire good. If you are not able, pray for a desire to do those things.
vv. 25-26 – Reread these verses carefully a few times. Do you believe these things? Pray in response to those verses.
Pray also that you and your own van members would “make the Lord GOD [your] refuge” so that you “may tell of all [his] works” (v. 28) to those on the Island.