All is Not Vain: Psalm 73-Supplication through the Scriptures

All is Not Vain

Psalm 73

O my God, however perplexed I may be, let me never think ill of thee. If I cannot understand thee, let me never cease to believe in thee.

Charles Spurgeon

Have you ever been tempted to think, “It is vain to serve God. What profit have I gained by obedience?” There was one time in particular that I was briefly tempted during a time of suffering to wonder what profit it had been to me to be faithful to what God had called me to when I was not getting the expected result, when the work I had done seemed fruitless. I say ‘briefly’ because the Lord quickly brought to my mind these verses from Malachi where the Lord rebukes these words as arrogance against Him. “Your words have been arrogant against Me. Yet you say, ‘How have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God…’” (Malachi 3:13-14).

In Psalm 73, the psalmist faces a similar dilemma. He said his feet had almost stumbled and his steps had nearly slipped because he saw the wicked prospering and yet he himself had kept his heart clean but was in affliction. And he wondered, “Was it all in vain?” (73:1-3, 13).

Have you ever been in a situation where justice seems withheld? Or you are in a situation where you are sure which result would bring God more glory and yet it seems the opposite happens? Maybe you have been a faithful spouse or a faithful parent and despite that faithfulness, your spouse has deserted you or your child has rejected you. You pray and cry out to the Lord, but you do not see the desired answer. And your heart aches and cries out, “Was it all in vain?!” But our continued obedience and trust show the worthiness of our Savior. “Obeying God's

commands without compromise honors him by showing that his ways are absolutely good, wise, and dependable” (Ken Sande).

Perhaps you are living in a situation that feels pointless or worthless. You wonder what is the purpose of your life, and the day in and day out tasks seem meaningless. You feel hidden, forgotten, weary, and without purpose. Like the psalmist, are you experiencing an embittered heart, soured by the perplexing issues of your life, pierced with grief or envy or anger? (73:21)

Even in our lamenting, when our souls feel embittered and we are pierced with grief, we must remind ourselves that God Himself never does anything in vain (Ezekiel 14:23). His providences are not random or arbitrary. The way He has directed our lives is not random or senseless. The trials and hardships, the good and the blessings, the purposeful days and the wearisome ones, are directed by our loving Father and “truly God is good” (Psalm 73:1).

We must come to Him and acknowledge that His understanding, wisdom, and ways are not always understood by us. We may at times feel confused at the providence of God. As the psalmist had almost turned aside from the Lord because of the prosperity of the wicked, our own inability to understand the ways of the Lord can leave us feeling like we’re stumbling. But when we can acknowledge His vast wisdom and our infantile understanding in comparison, we can come to the point where we say, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:23-24). We must trust His Word and that what He does in and through us is never vain or worthless, without purpose or without cause. He will hold us fast. We can be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil is never in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). He will guide our way through the paths we do not yet understand. And ultimately our hope lies in our eternity with Him where all will be made plain and set right.

And that hope leads the psalmist to say some of the most beloved words from the Psalms, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”(Psalm‬ ‭73:25-26‬). Oh, to be able to say these words with sincerity! There is nothing, nothing on earth I desire besides Christ my Lord. My heart and my flesh may fail, but He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Your circumstances and mine may remain the same. We may continue to see confusing, seemingly vain situations and experience pain, but He is our desire, strength, and portion. It is good for us to be near our God. Let’s trust in Him and make Him our refuge until He receives us to glory (Psalm 73:28).

Pray through Psalm 73 seeking the Lord’s help for those situations that seem pointless and vain.

I Almost Stumbled

73:1-3 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Lord, I pray:

▫️When I am tempted to feel like my suffering, my situation, my daily tasks are for nothing, remind me of Your goodness to me. You are good and do good (Psalm 119:68) and I will choose to trust You.

▫️When I fear my faith will fail, my feet stumble, my steps slip, hold me firmly in Your hand. Keep me from falling away from You. My heart is weak and my flesh does feel like it is failing at times, sustain and uphold me.

▫️Forgive me for being envious of others who appear to be prospering or seem to have no trouble. Help me to trust Your righteous and true ways. Help me not to despair or feel cast off by You during this affliction.

All In Vain?

73:12-15 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

Lord, I pray:

▫️I would obey You because You are worthy! I would gladly and cheerfully follow You even when my flesh wonders, “Is it all in vain?”

▫️I would rejoice in hope, be patient in my affliction, and continue steadfastly in prayer (Romans 12:12).

▫️Though I am afflicted, I would not be crushed. Though I am perplexed, I would not despair. Though I feel struck down, I would not be destroyed, and the life of Jesus would be manifested in me during this time (2 Corinthians 4:8-11).

I Was Ignorant

73:16-22 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

Heavenly Father, I pray:

▫️Though I may at times be weary trying to discern Your ways and how You are going to work, help me to keep my eyes on eternal, unseen hope and glory, and not focused on the transient, earthly things.

▫️You would search my heart and where I have become embittered because I am not accepting Your will. The things that pierce my heart with grief, confusion, envy, or bitterness, You would cleanse me from all these things and replace them with trust, acceptance, obedience, and delightful desire to do Your will.

▫️Truly, Lord, Your wisdom and knowledge are too deep for me to fathom. Your judgments are unsearchable and Your ways past finding out. Help me to remember these truths when I feel like I know a better solution than what You have provided.

I Desire Nothing Besides You

73:23-26 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Thank You for Your sure promise that You will never leave me or forsake me. Hang on to me, Lord, especially when I feel too discouraged to hold on to You.

▫️Guide me, Lord, with Your counsel. The decisions I must make, the help I must seek, the many unknowns, guide me and give me Your wisdom.

▫️“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You.” Help me to delight myself in You, and trust You to give me the desires of my heart, namely more of You (Psalm 37:4).

▫️When my heart and my flesh feel like they are failing because I am physically weary, or emotionally spent, or mentally exhausted, come be the strength of my heart and my portion. Reawaken in me a longing for the glories of heaven.

I Have Made the Lord God My Refuge

73:27-28 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Help me to draw near to You for You will draw near to me (James 4:8) and Your nearness is for my good!

▫️I will trust You, Father, and by trusting You I will take refuge in You. Shelter me under Your wings and fill my mouth with songs of joy (Psalm 63:7).

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Photo credit to seffen99

Search This Blog

Savoring the Scripture