Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.—Psalm 73:21-28
Such a beautiful passage of Scripture. Such wonderful promises given here not only to Asaph but to us as God’s children, as well. The psalm begins by extolling God’s goodness…
Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.—Psalm 73:1
And ends in the same manner…
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.—Psalm 73:28
In between, the psalmist struggles with a problem that I think can plague each of us as believers from time to time. “Why do the wicked prosper?” If God is good, why do evil people not only seem to get away with their evil but also do very well for themselves. The temptation both for the psalmist and for us is in verses 13-14.
Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
I love what comes next because it reminds me that as a member of the body of Christ I do nothing in a vacuum.
If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.—Psalm 73:15
My faithfulness or lack of faithfulness in the trials I face and the pressures I am under can encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ or discourage them. We depend on each other. I want to be one that that encourages their faith. I want to speak the truth of God in my trials and over the lives of those who in some way depend on me to be steadfast in my faith.
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.—Romans 1:9-12
I am so thankful that Asaph’s inspired words are here for me. I can follow him into the sanctuary of God (vs 17) and see with him the certainty of the judgment of the wicked and the foolishness of becoming angry or resentful at (in my own mind) having been treated unfairly. Verses 23-28 remind me to keep my eye on the prize. As I read them, I consider Jesus…
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
Hebrews 12:1-2 also came to mind…
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Truly there is unending joy and satisfaction in walking in a covenant relationship with our God. His steadfast love toward us never ceases. He, who is steadfast love, goes with us always.
Verse 25 reminds me that the wicked may think they have it all (vs 27) but I have something that is infinitely more valuable. I have God…the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ…as my Father. I am His child. To have God as my Father is worth more than heaven and earth…more than anything I could ever imagine. He is my strength and my portion forever.
Beloved…rest your heart here this morning.
Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory. —Psalm 73:21-24 (boldness mine)
His Divine Presence and His Divine support go with you as you journey through this life.
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."—Genesis 28:15
And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."—Exodus 33:14
"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.—Deuteronomy 20:1
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'—Isaiah 41:10
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, 'Destroy!'—Deuteronomy 33:27
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.—Exodus 19:4
In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old.—Isaiah 63:9
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.—Psalm 139:5-12
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24
