All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
Psalm 73:13
Maybe you have coworkers who have very little integrity, and yet they seem to be thriving. You, on the other hand, have tried to do business in a way that honours the Lord, but instead of thriving, you are facing all kinds of trouble. It leaves you saying, “What’s the point?!?”
One of your coworkers, who was fooling around with someone in the office, just got a promotion. But you were faithful to your spouse, and now you lost your job. It leaves you wondering, “Lord, did you bless the wrong person?”
This was Asaph’s problem, and he tells us honestly, “My feet had almost slipped. I was nearly gone. I almost gave up.” If a godly man like Asaph could be tempted like that, we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens to us.
Peter tells us that Christian believers have an enemy—Satan, who is like a roaring lion, prowling around looking to see who he can devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The more useful you are to Christ, the more the enemy will want to devour you. That’s what was happening here. Satan wanted to spoil Asaph’s testimony, end his ministry, and destroy him.
There will be times of special testing in your life, and your future usefulness to Christ will depend in large measure on how you handle yourself when they come. The apostle Paul said, “Take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13). That’s what Asaph did, and God brought him through.
Have you ever felt like giving up on your pursuit of a godly life?
