The Beast Within and the God Who Restores

Life often feels like a masterpiece in progress until the picture changes. What seemed like a blooming flower can suddenly turn into a piercing thorn. We reach for beauty and are met with pain.

C.S. Lewis experienced such a moment when his wife, Joy Davidman, briefly recovered from cancer after fervent prayers, only for the disease to return and claim her life. Reflecting on his grief, he wrote, “A noble hunger, long unsatisfied, met at last its proper food, and almost instantly the food was snatched away” (A Grief Observed, 17–18). Such experiences can make God’s ways feel inscrutable, even cruel.

In moments like these, we face a choice: grow bitter and beastly under the weight of grief, or allow God to transform us. Psalm 73 offers a pathway out of bitterness, showing us how God undragons our hearts and leads us back to Himself.

When Darkness Overwhelms

Asaph, the psalmist, wrestles with a world that feels unjust. He sees the wicked prosper while the faithful suffer. The godless strut through life, unbothered and rich, while Asaph feels the sting of affliction and rebuke (Psalm 73:3–14). His faith falters, and he declares, “All in vain have I kept my heart clean” (Psalm 73:13).

This disillusionment ushers Asaph into a darkened soul-state, one familiar to anyone who has questioned God’s goodness amidst suffering. Yet, looking back, Asaph doesn’t see himself as a noble victim. Instead, he confesses, “I was like a beast toward you” (Psalm 73:22).

Bitterness can deform us into something less than human, making us snarl at God and His providence. But Asaph’s story doesn’t end there and neither does ours.

Walking Back to Light

Asaph’s transformation begins when he “[goes] into the sanctuary of God” (Psalm 73:17). There, he encounters a truth that undragons his heart: despite his confusion and pain, God has never left his side. Through three vivid images, Asaph reclaims the bright world of faith.

You hold my right hand

The greatest danger in dark moments is not the pain itself, but the perception of God’s absence. At first, Asaph’s lament revolves around a world where God feels far away. But in the sanctuary, he realizes, “I am continually with you; you hold my right hand” (Psalm 73:23).

Think of a child lost in a crowd, terrified until a familiar hand finds theirs. Likewise, when our bitterness subsides enough to sense God’s nearness, we find an inexplicable peace. Nothing in our circumstances may have changed, but everything feels different when we know that God holds us.

You guide me with your counsel

God doesn’t just hold us He leads us. “You guide me with your counsel” (Psalm 73:24). While we may not understand why suffering persists or why prayers seem unanswered, we can trust the Scriptures to guide us through the wilderness.

The Bible does not promise easy answers, but it does promise a faithful Guide. Jesus Himself walked the path of bitter providence, from Gethsemane’s agony to Calvary’s horror. His resurrection assures us that following God’s counsel never ends in shame.

Afterward you will receive me to glory

Asaph’s bitterness fades when he remembers the “afterward”: “You will receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:24). Though life’s thorns persist, they are temporary. The hands that hold and guide us now will one day welcome us home, where every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4).

For Asaph, this eternal perspective changes everything. The prosperity of the wicked no longer tempts him, and his own suffering no longer consumes him. His bitterness dissolves in the light of God’s eternal promises.

God as Goal and Road

In A Grief Observed, Lewis reflects on his grief, asking whether he had treated God as a road to Joy or as the ultimate goal. He concludes, “He can’t be used as a road. If you are approaching him not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you’re not really approaching him at all” (68).

This insight echoes Asaph’s journey. The key to undragoning is not unraveling the mysteries of God’s providence but freshly embracing God as both goal and guide. He is not merely the road we walk but the destination we seek, not just the means of comfort but our ultimate comfort.

Taming the Beast Within

When life’s thorns prick deeply, it’s tempting to growl at God and retreat into bitterness. Yet Psalm 73 reminds us that even in our beastliness, God holds our hand, leads us by His counsel, and promises us glory.

Bitterness may come naturally, but God can transform it into faith. The question is, will we let Him? Will we step into the sanctuary of His presence, where the snarling beast can become a child once more?

God Himself is our path and home, our portion now and forever. Let that truth undragon you, and let Him lead you back into the light.

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