Psalm 73 reimagined

A psalm written by Asaph

The Creator is kind-hearted towards his / her followers, whose intentions and desires are perfect.
I must say that I came close to the edge. I put myself on a slippery slope and was nearly lost.
The truth is that I became jealous of the arrogant when I noticed how well off they were. I am sorry to say, I completely overlooked their depraved behaviour.
They seem to make the most of their lives – they ooze toughness and are in good shape. They seem to find life undemanding.
Life for them seems to be untroubled, not the hardships which affect other people.
Self-confidence for them is a badge of honour and their hard-heartedness means that they are not affected by other people’s troubles.
Life gives them what they desire, so why be concerned about what happens to others.
They ridicule other people and say cruel things. To big themselves up, they run other people down.
It appears that no-one is more important or significant than they are. Wherever they are and whoever they are with, they are the centre of their own conversation.
The ordinary folk listen to all this and are left baffled and disheartened.
“Why does our God let this behaviour happen?” they ask. “Does the Greatest of all Time even know or care?”
They are malicious people, yet of all people in the world, they keep getting richer without needing to work.

It was not long before I began to think, why do I try to be perfect? Why do I try to be above reproach?
Every day is a struggle with no end to the hardships. Facing the day is a wretched experience.

Fortunately, I kept these thoughts to myself. To share them with your followers would have been to betray you.
Instead, I tried to get to the bottom of why the unprincipled are allowed to thrive, but I really struggled to understand.
Finally, I found a quiet place to spend time in your presence, my God, and then, like a bolt from the blue, the fate of the unprincipled became clear.
It is they who are on a slippery slope to destruction and they are too arrogant to seek your help.
Sooner or later, without warning, life turns around for them and they slip into oblivion.
You have always seen their bravado as child-like. To you, Boss, their plans are like dreams which seem real at the time but are a joke on waking.

It was clear how resentful I had become and how my attitude was causing tension inside me.
I can see how short-sighted and clueless I had been, and you will have picked up on my unreasonable reaction.
But I am still your child and am loved by you.
You coach me to follow you and your purpose is that I will live in your wonderful presence for ever.
There is no-one else in the whole universe who loves me and sticks with me as you do. You are the most important thing in my life.
My physical well-being might decline, and my mental health may suffer, but you Creator, give me purpose and resolve. You are everything to me and will be for all time.

Those who turn their back on you will come to an end – that is their fate.
I enjoy nothing more than being with you, my Creator. You, Boss, are the one who matters the most. You are my guardian and I will speak to everyone about the amazing things that you do for me.