Slices
Prepare
How have you seen God’s goodness to you in recent days? Thank him.
Bible passage
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, ‘How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?’
12 This is what the wicked are like –
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion for ever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
Explore
Remember the contrasts between those who seek God’s kingdom and those who don’t? As the psalmist shares, it can be difficult to keep on living God’s way (vs 1,2).
We live in a world where the proud, the wealthy and the callous hold sway – some even consider themselves above God (v 11). This world of prosperity is hard to resist – many like what they hear (v 10). We’re reminded of that upside‑down kingdom Jesus described in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–12): purity, humility and hunger for God replace pride, greed and impurity of heart. Sometimes, though, we feel as if it’s too hard to live like this (vs 13,14). The psalmist felt like that too.
It ‘troubled me deeply…’, he said until he entered God’s sanctuary (vs 16,17). Then he understood: such living was based on fantasies (v 20). Catastrophes of life and fears of them undermine those whose trust is in possessions and themselves (vs 18–20). In contrast, the psalmist remembers he is not on his own. God the ‘Sovereign Lord’ is nearby. Yes, sometimes the writer knows he may fail (v 26), but he also knows God is his eternal refuge (v 28). ‘Earth has nothing I desire besides you’ (v 25) – and the future is certain with him (vs 24,26).
Respond
As you worship God today, ask him to give you a fresh perspective on what it truly means to live as a member of his upside-down kingdom.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 1,2; Psalms 11,12
Pray for Scripture Union
Join SU Scotland in praising God for the six young people who started a gap year in August. Pray that they will grow and thrive in their placements, relate well to their supervisors, and rely on God’s strength in all they do.
