Today’s Scripture Reading (September
6, 2013): Psalm 73
Charles Dickens
started his novel “A Tale of Two Cities” with the phrase “It was the best of
times, it was the worst of times.” It is probably one of the best opening lines
ever written because we identify with the separation between the two times.
This year I went on vacation, and I understood Dickens line. The first te0n
days of my vacation was the best of times. But I ended up getting sick for the
rest of vacation and spending some time every day travelling to the hospital
for treatment. And that was never on my vacation agenda. So for the first ten
days of my vacation it was great – it was the best of times – but for the rest
of my vacation, not so much. Most of us understand that dichotomy. And that
dichotomy forces us to make some choices.
Early in the
20th century there were two men, actually they were two friends.
Both of the men believed in God and both were phenomenal preachers. But life
intervened on the lives of both of these men – both experienced the best of
times and the worst of times. And for one of the men, his faith deepened
through this time. He had doubts, we all do, but through faith he began to see
God working around him. But the second man took a second route. He struggled
with doubt just like his friend. He understood Asaph’s comment about envying
the arrogant – and he walked away from the faith. The worst of times destroyed
his relationship with God.
And this is
the middle of the truth that we live in. We live through the best of times and
the worst of times – all of the time. We can sometimes have the best of times and
the worst of times in the same day. We can walk out of an incredible worship
service which had a God moment in it that seemed designed specifically for us –
we heard the voice of God and we are on a mountaintop and a couple of hours
later we are reading Psalm 73 and we are envying the arrogant and wondering
whether or not God really exists. Being a Christian does not mean that we never
doubt or never question our faith. The important question is what we do with
the doubt and the questions.
The two
friend were real. One of them was Billy Graham, and his friend’s name was
Charles Templeton. And each one of these men met with the same circumstances
but reacted in a different way. For Graham, the dark times ended up
strengthening his faith, and because his faith was strengthened he was able to
speak to others that needed to be encouraged in their dark times. Charles
Templeton was destroyed by his doubts and ended up leaving his church and all
of those that needed his voice in their lives. Asaph admitted, as an author of
a Psalm that is in the Bible, that he has looked at the arrogant and was
jealous of all that they had, to the point where he was considering leaving his
faith. There was a fork in the road in his life that would lead him to either the
best or the worst. Both Billy Graham and Charles Templeton found themselves at
the same fork, and each man chose a different road to take. Asaph understood
the choice, and chose to walk toward God in spite of his doubts and questions.
And because of Asaph’s choice he was able to finish his Psalm with this
declaration – “But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign
Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” – Psalm 73:28
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm
74
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