Psalm 73–Reflection and Deliberation, and More

Last night, I opened my Bible to read out of the Psalms. There is a certain method of reading them that I use–but it is not original with me, so I will not take credit for any of it. But the method is, to take the current date and read that Psalm. Yesterday was the 13th, so I read the 13th Psalm, then you add 30 and read the Psalm that equals the sum. (Huh, that almost rimes!!;-) So I read Psalm 43. And you just do that until you have no more Psalms to read. Anyways… So, I was doing that, I read the 13th, 43rd, then the 73rd. And as soon as I read the 2nd and 3rd verses of Psalm 73, I immediately knew it was about me. Or most of it at least.

Below is not the exact version I wanted, but it is close enough, I think. I was reading out of the Life Application Study Bible (NLT), but this is just plain NLT, but I think it is close enough. I changed some of the really important parts to the Life Application words. Because they are more…..applicable, I guess. 🙂

By the way, I really like the Life Application Bible (and it actually has a small story for God’s glory itself!!) for reading the Psalms and Proverbs and such like. Especially over the KJV just because it is easier to understand. Not that Psalms or Proverbs is confusing, it is just the KJV is…as I am sure you all know already. (But I will say that I like to memorize in the King James.)

So, I liked this Psalm because I could identify with it. And I thought I would share it with you.

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff!
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
4 They seem to live such painless lives;
their bodies are so healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have troubles like other people;
they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
6 They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
and clothe themselves with cruelty.
7 These fat cats have everything
their hearts could ever wish for!
8 They scoff and speak only evil;
in their pride they seek to crush others.
9 They boast against the very heavens,
and their words strut throughout the earth.
10 And so the people are dismayed and confused,
drinking in all their words.
11 “What does God know?” they ask.
“Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
12 Look at these wicked people—
enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.

15 If I had really spoken this way to others,
I would have been a traitor to your people.
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.

27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

I think it is so true. And it is comforting to know that it is not just in the modern age that the wicked/ungodly have ‘prospered’. Not that the godly do not prosper, but it just seems like the wicked “strut throughout the earth.” The end resolves the beginning.

Always strive to prosper in God, not in the world. “Lay up treasures in Heaven.”

This is becoming a rather long post, but I feel like I must…..deliberate some more…

And after Psalm 73, and 103, I read Psalm 133 and it kind of goes along a little bit…..

When we follow after the ungodly, the proud and wicked, we do not have harmony with our brothers in Christ. And when we are proud ourselves, we have absolute unharmony…that is not a word.

Psalm 133

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1 How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!
2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
that was poured over Aaron’s head,
that ran down his beard
and onto the border of his robe.
3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
even life everlasting.

Christopher D.

A Fraction of Thought

Have you ever looked at a picture of another galaxy? Have you ever seen a sample picture of the Milky Way? Of course we little people can’t even get a real picture of our own galaxy from the outside, you know why? ‘Cause we’ve never been outside to take pictures. These pictures really dwarf our idea of a ‘big’ world. They make you feel small.

Our solar system is a massive system with massive planets and stars. For example, did you know that, 1,000,000 (1 million) Earths fit in the sun? And the sun is only a little (but important) part of our solar system. So now we have this massive solar system—until we look at the Milky Way galaxy. The diameter of the Milky is, 100,000 light years (approximately 590 quadrillion miles—write it out, it is a long number!). Further more, the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, which means it looks similar to a hurricane, and most spiral galaxies have at least three main arms. Did you know our solar system is at the end of one of the Milky’s arms? That means our solar system is but a fraction of the Milky Way galaxy.

Can you guess where I’m going next? You guessed it! I’m going further then the Milky; I’m going to infinity—and beyond!

How many galaxies do you think there are? Well, not even the most intelligent rocket scientist knows that. Have you ever heard of Andromeda? It’s a BIGGER galaxy then the Milky. Andromeda and the Milky are the two largest of about twenty galaxies clustered in a group known as, the Local Group. And it is believed that our Local Group is part of a larger cluster known as a supercluster, and that the universe is filled with superclusters.

Looking through his most powerful telescopes, man can see galaxies billions of light years away, but the edge of the universe is nowhere in sight. The total number of galaxies in the known universe is presently estimated to greatly exceed one hundred billion.

So now what do you think? Zoom out for a minute—further out—uh still further! Take a look, see those itty bitty little spots are Andromeda and the Milky Way. And see this; these are quadrillions of other superclsters. And each supercluster has millions of galaxies—and look! It never ends! You can fly 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 of light years away, and still go on. The universe has no end. (No wonder God took a rest on the seventh day!!)

We will zoom out further, till the superclusters are little itty bitty spots. Now you’re thinking, “So this is God’s view, eh?” Well, he’s even farther out still, but we can’t go that far, our imaginations would explode. But this distance will do.

Now, see if you can find—out of all those spots called superclusters—our supercluster. And then see if you can find the Local Group? Then the Milky Way? Then our solar system, then finally Earth? Can you do that from way out here? I don’t think so!!! Now look at it this way, God’s view is way out there, so far out that we with our mortal eyes can’t even see our suppercluster. But God has good eyesight. From that view, then move to earth. You definitely can’t see that little planet from out there. There are more then 6 billion people on Earth. There are more then 600 people in my family!

And—here is an extremely moving thought—from God’s view way up there, with all these infinite number of superclusters, and six billion people—God loves me? God pays attention to ME? Who am I? Six billion + other, cooler people, besides all those other planets and galaxies and stars, and oofta! He cares about me? Little ole me? Me? Why? Why me? I don’t get it God? You have many places to focus your attention to, other then Earth! And even then, there are more perfect people! There are smarter, wiser, better people out there, and you would care for me? And die for me! It’s too much! I can’t take it! Why a wretch like me? Why waste your time? You could be giving someone or something else double time!

Isn’t that amazing? What an extremely, enormously, huge, wonderful, awesome thought? That God would love me and you! We’re just fractions of the country, let alone the world, let alone the solar system, let alone the galaxy, let alone the Local Group, let alone the supercluster, let alone the quadrillions of superclusters, let alone THE UNIVERSE! Out of all that, God would notice me



“Amazing Grace—how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.”

The majority of my information came from, A Beka Book 8th grade science, Matter & Motion, in God’s Universe.

Imagine if this huge galaxy was a really really small dot? And then picture quadrillions of other galaxies. All around it? One MASSIVE universe.

Imagine if this huge galaxy was a really really small dot? And then picture quadrillions of other galaxies. All around it? One MASSIVE universe.