Godly Perspective

By John Madge

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”—Psalm 73:1–3 (NIV)

I want to start by saying that this is one of my all-time favorite psalms. In it Asaph, the psalmist, describes his struggle to comprehend the purpose of his life and devotion to God in comparison to the lives of unbelievers. From his perspective, the lives of godless people appear to be easy, comfortable, and abundant. However, his perspective changes about midway through the psalm and transitions to a mindset filled with godly wisdom.

I love the way Asaph begins this psalm (verses 1–2). He frames the writing in a way that acknowledges God’s goodness and his lack of understanding. In doing so, the reader moves forward knowing that God is not at fault or in need of correction. Asaph and the reader (you and I) need a godly perspective and wisdom to begin to understand the paradoxical nature of living a life devoted to God.

I often find my thoughts mirroring verses 3–16 when I encounter injustice of any kind. These verses describe Asaph’s dilemma and seeing life with the knowledge and belief of God, but lacking a godly perspective. You may ask, “How is it possible to believe in God but lack godly wisdom or perspective?” It’s possible in the same way that a functional electronic device needs to be connected to a power source to function properly. If the device (you and I) are not connected to the power source (God), we won’t function (due to lack of power and a godly perspective). However, when we connect to God, we gain a godly perspective, just as Asaph does in verse 17: “Till I entered the Sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”

This is an important turning point in developing spiritual maturity. It’s one of the many reasons we need to continuously seek after the Lord through prayer, reading the Word, and fellowshipping with other believers. Otherwise, we’ll lack a godly perspective and begin to cut ourselves off from God.

Take a look at verses 21–22 to see how skewed Asaph’s perspective had become: “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.”

Imagine you’re an animal caught in a hunter’s trap and God sees you in your condition and seeks to set you free. When we filter our perspective through grief and bitterness, we act like senseless beasts before God and regard Him as untrustworthy.

In closing, in verses 23–28, Asaph reminds himself and us that God is trustworthy and faithful, even when we’re not. In verse 26, he writes: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

I hope you’re challenged and encouraged by this psalm—challenged to be more authentic in your lack of understanding at the fallen nature of this world and your seemingly unanswered prayers and encouraged by verses 23–24, which says, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel.”

God is always there, willing to guide and protect you.

Pause: Are there any areas of your life where you could use a godly perspective?

Practice: Be honest with God, just as Asaph was honest with God. Tell Him where you lack understanding—where you’re grieved, angry, confused, overwhelmed, etc. Whatever it is, bring it to Him.

Pray: Lord, I’m undone before You. I surrender my understanding and my perspective to You. Please help me to see myself, others, and life the way You do. Take me by my hand and guide me with your counsel. Amen.