Psalm 73I know I've reposted this particular piece a couple times, but I don't believe that I've ever shared on ArtFol the origin of it. In the summer of 2012, a terribly disturbed man committed a horrific mass murder in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. I was wrestling with my emotions over a tragedy that I had (and still have) trouble even fitting in my brain, and so I made this as a sort of metaphorical way of saying what I didn't quite know how to put into words. The fictional city of Gotham is overrun by both overt criminal elements and institutional corruption within the legal system, both of which are two sides of the same coin. Thus, those who live outside of the law flourish, and those who abide by it are victimized and punished. Without going deep into the backstory of Bruce Wayne, Batman has become the mechanism of justice in a city where the actual justice system has become largely inert. And so, when the people are in trouble, they shine a light in the night sky to call out to the one person who seems to have both the means and desire to help. Yet this leaves the city in an ongoing tenuous situation, because Batman/Bruce Wayne is one man and no matter how sincere his intentions, his justice is arbitrary, emotionally charged, and sometimes errantly motivated. And he seems to be aware of this, in that he makes the decision at the end of the previous movie (The Dark Knight) to take the fall and leave the people with some faith in the still functioning elements of the legal system rather than having them continue to place their trust in vigilantism. Either way, the people of Gotham are looking to flawed men to save them. But when a flawed man, tasked with the incomprehensible burden of holding back the waves of evil from overcoming a city of millions, is overcome himself with the depravity of man, to whom does he shine a light in night sky to call for help?
There are many times that I feel overwhelmed by the amount of evil that exists in the world, and am often floored by the boldness with which so many who reject God reward evil and shun good. This isn't a new thing; it's always been. But it can feel like the wheels are falling off sometimes, because all I can really see is the place and time I'm in, and I can't see that God always has His hands on the controls. The 73rd Psalm speaks to this (I didn't post any scripture because it's more about the overall message of the chapter, which would be a bit lengthy, and I already feel like I'm writing a novel here). The psalmist wrestles with these feelings, seeing those who do evil living carelessly while those obedient to God seem burdened at every turn. I would recommend looking up the chapter on a site like Biblegateway.com, where you can also access different commentaries which expound on the scripture in ways I'm not gifted to do. But the psalmist is struggling almost to his breaking point with these things, until he looks to the Lord and understands that this day, this world, this life, they are just a blink in the big picture. Those who do evil are not getting away with anything, no matter how it appears. Even if they go completely unpunished in this life, they haven't escaped the One who they've spent their lives rejecting. I hope this gives you some encouragement today. Again, this chapter is worth delving into, and I did some reading of Matthew Henry's commentary on the chapter. My writing tends to go all over the place, and I'm not any kind of scholar, biblical or otherwise. #JuneForJesusJun 21, 2026
There are many times that I feel overwhelmed by the amount of evil that exists in the world, and am often floored by the boldness with which so many who reject God reward evil and shun good. This isn't a new thing; it's always been. But it can feel like the wheels are falling off sometimes, because all I can really see is the place and time I'm in, and I can't see that God always has His hands on the controls. The 73rd Psalm speaks to this (I didn't post any scripture because it's more about the overall message of the chapter, which would be a bit lengthy, and I already feel like I'm writing a novel here). The psalmist wrestles with these feelings, seeing those who do evil living carelessly while those obedient to God seem burdened at every turn. I would recommend looking up the chapter on a site like Biblegateway.com, where you can also access different commentaries which expound on the scripture in ways I'm not gifted to do. But the psalmist is struggling almost to his breaking point with these things, until he looks to the Lord and understands that this day, this world, this life, they are just a blink in the big picture. Those who do evil are not getting away with anything, no matter how it appears. Even if they go completely unpunished in this life, they haven't escaped the One who they've spent their lives rejecting. I hope this gives you some encouragement today. Again, this chapter is worth delving into, and I did some reading of Matthew Henry's commentary on the chapter. My writing tends to go all over the place, and I'm not any kind of scholar, biblical or otherwise. #JuneForJesusJun 21, 2026
Comments
I really needed this 
I've been so miserably depressed recently because there's nowhere left to go that hasn't already been perverted in some way or another. It's killing me.
I love the art btw, that's so epic :D
I've been so miserably depressed recently because there's nowhere left to go that hasn't already been perverted in some way or another. It's killing me.I love the art btw, that's so epic :D
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•That kinda reminds me of something funny I keep seeing. "God is still writing your story. Stop trying to steal the pen!" XD
But yeah, the Bible even says that people will see good as evil, and evil as good. Every Christian will have heavy burdens and rough times. We all have to carry our cross like Jesus. But the good seeds we sow, will reap greatly in the end. Hang in there Arfol Grandpa, God's got you in his arms, and he won't leave you nor forsake you
But yeah, the Bible even says that people will see good as evil, and evil as good. Every Christian will have heavy burdens and rough times. We all have to carry our cross like Jesus. But the good seeds we sow, will reap greatly in the end. Hang in there Arfol Grandpa, God's got you in his arms, and he won't leave you nor forsake you
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