Draw Close to God, Fully Restored, God, Kristin Clouse, Relationship with Jesus, Soul Care

Time in the Sanctuary

Let’s read Psalms 73:28 together,

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.

If we just read this Scripture at the end of Psalms 73, we would miss the full impact, the whole message of this revelation that Asaph, the writer of Psalms 73, had.

For the first 14 verses in this chapter, Asaph is venting his frustrations about the wicked and how it seems they continue to prosper. He is frustrated about all aspects of their lives. We read about the wicked who have an abundance of riches. The wicked speak as they wish. They are at ease in their ungodliness. They are violent, destructive, and wear pride like a necklace. These are just a few of the things he makes a note of in this Psalms.

I appreciate this Psalms from Asaph, the writer, because he didn’t stop at verse 14. He didn’t stay stuck, just focusing on his frustrations. No, in verses 15-17, it says,

If I had said, “I will speak thus,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children. When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— Until I went into the sanctuary of God, Then I understood their end.”

In our lives, we face frustration, face things that seem unfair, unjust, and those who speak ill of us or are unkind towards us, we wonder why they get away with what they are doing.

When we focus on others and what we think they are getting away with, and yes, we’ve got to be honest, there are some people whose motives and actions are cruel, unkind, and filled with self desires at the expense of others.

When we go to the sanctuary, taking out eyes off of others and their actions, our perspective is changed into the presence of God. The situations may not change, but we are changed. Being in the presence of God changes us. Putting our trust in the fact that God sees the bigger picture more than we see at that moment changes us.

Today, whatever you are facing, go to the sanctuary and spend time with God. Don’t focus on what others are getting away with or are doing. Instead, bring your cares, your concerns before the throne of God, asking Him to give you understanding amid great sorrow and pain.

God will meet you and me there, just as he did Asaph. And he will change our perspective, maybe not the situations, but our perspectives for sure.