Curse God and Forget Him

David’s Psalms have been loved for thousands of years. Many people mention the Psalms when asked about their favorite books of the Bible. David’s raw emotion is what many people point to. He has such drastic highs and lows. Sometimes he is writing on the mountaintop–praising God for His blessing. But more often then not, David is lamenting to God in the valleys. And many of us can relate to that.

Other people mention David’s unique relationship with God. The way David would interact with God made Him seem so close, so loving, and so near. We enjoy praying through the Psalms for this very reason. The Psalms are intimate and close and help us extend our reach as we pray.

I want to point to a, probably, very familiar Psalm but one that stopped me in my tracks as I read it yesterday morning.

It’s Psalm 73 and towards the very end, it says this: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

You may have heard that part before. In fact, I’m pretty sure it is a portion of a worship song we’ve done before. David is calling out to God in gratitude. You are literally all I have God. If everything in me fails, if I have no strength left, and no possessions left, and I’m made to be nothing–I will still have you. For you are my strength and portion forever. It’s a wonderful sentiment.

And while this part may be recognizable, I don’t know if we are familiar with what has led to this point.

Let’s take a few steps back and see how David gets to this point.

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

David’s saying, you know, I hear it said all the time that God is good. I understand that Israel serves a good God and we believe that God has been good to Israel, but as for me, personally, I haven’t seen it.

In fact, my life’s not going “good” at all. My feet are slipping and I’ve so close to giving up and giving in. I’ve grown envious of those whose lives are going well. Those who are experiencing goodness and prosperity. And when I look to see who those people are, I see only the wicked!

Something’s wrong! It’s the wicked who are experiencing this goodness that was supposed to be promised to Israel. They are getting fat off good food and experience no troubles that the rest of mankind faces. They are prideful and violent and it seems to be working for them.

They are experiencing goodness and yet they outright curse God and deny His existence. They grow richer and richer and nothing bad comes against them. It’s not fair.

And I think this is the part where David gets really angry. He says, my whole life I have remained clean. I have been innocent before God and followed your commands, but it seems to all be in vain! Maybe I should have went the way of the wicked! Maybe I should curse God and deny his existence. That’s what the wicked do. And they experience goodness and prosperity. But look where obedience and purity has gotten me.

But then David throws on the brakes. And that’s what I thought, that I would just give up on God because it seems like He has given up on me. That was, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God.” Something happened to David’s mind, to his outlook, his attitude when he went to the sanctuary of the Lord. I like to imagine that David went to the temple and into the inner sanctuary as a last-ditch effort. He went in there to give God one last chance to turn the table, to make it right, to finally honor David for his obedience and strike down the wicked, or else David would curse God’s name and deny His obedience.

He went to the sanctuary to call God out. But the minute He enters the presence of God, something changes. Suddenly, David experiences the Spirit of God in a powerful way, and God shows David that He never left. But instead He is working, and David’s enemies will have their day of judgment.

It’s in the presence of God that David experiences the goodness of God, and he realizes that it’s not God that’s bad, but instead life is bad. There’s nothing easy about life and hardship falls on the righteous and unrighteous alike. But in that sanctuary David realizes that God has given His people something the righteous do not have.

In the presence of God, David is reminded that He has an all-powerful lover and ally in heaven, and though everything and everyone may give up on him, God will supply more strength and will be his portion forever.

I don’t know where you war this morning, but maybe you–like David­–may be ready to curse God and give up, you feel like in the midst of your circumstances there is no way that God can be good. Maybe it’s time to get into the sanctuary of God, into His presence, and there find a new outlook, a new perspective, a new attitude. Go into the sanctuary to see that though your flesh and your heart may fail, God is the strength of your heart and your portion forever.