Psalm 73: “Though God is good, I nearly fell”

Denfield  C.M.

Psalm 73
Though God is good, I nearly fell
When I saw wicked men:
I envied their prosperity
And almost stumbled then.

I said, “No trouble bars their way,
Their boasting does not cease;
Though pride and violence mark their path,
They live and die in peace.”

“They mock at God, yet live at ease,
While I have served in vain,
For all day long I have been plagued,
And every dawn brings pain.”

To speak thus would have been a lie,
Yet truth I could not see,
Until I saw their fearful end
When in the sanctuary:

You set them in a slippery place
And suddenly they’re doomed;
When, in a moment, terrors come,
They swiftly are consumed.

My heart was grieved, my mind was dark,
But you took my right hand.
You’ll guide me with your counsel sure
Till I in glory stand.

For whom have I in heaven but you,
What joy on earth besides?
My flesh and heart may quickly fail,
But God my strength abides.

Those far from God shall perish all;
In Christ I shall draw near:
My trust is in the Lord alone,
I shall your works declare.

©JRW

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