Psalm 73: 18-23  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.

Psalm is 73 is hymn of lament by Asaph who went through a very difficult season and almost walked away from the Lord.  In verse two he uses the phrase, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped.” He talks about how he grew jealous and envious – even bitter, over the pride, callous hearts and arrogant lives of ungodly people.  He complains to God about the vanity of living a holy life before God. Then he begins to recount the turning point and realization of his own error.  He sees the truth that we will reap what we sow; that a life of lustful pride will suddenly end in destruction.  A key point comes up in verse 21 when Asaph realizes that there was a point in his life where he took offense at God.  This bitterness was the root of his senseless and ignorant thought and behavior.  

I wanted to take a moment and point that out to you.  Read the Psalm and consider this thoughtful lament by Asaph.  In most of our lives there comes a time when we take offense with God or man.  When we are unforgiving in this way, we open our souls to all the distortion and pain that bitterness can bring.  If you know someone who has fallen away from a real relationship with God you can be assured there was a point where they took offense, or like Asaph, their heart was grieved and their spirit embittered.  Most of us will have some place in our thinking where God did not do what we wanted and it hurt us.  This bitterness can become a point of access for broken thinking and the multiplication of our pain and doubts.  Today, follow Asaph’s example and come into God’s presence through the love of Christ. Forgive God, forgive yourself and realize His never-failing love for you.  He always holds you in His hand! Don’t let bitterness of soul blind you to the truth that is all around you:  Life can be hard, but the Love of God never falls short.