June 14- Psalm 73
Dear Father, we come before You in praise and with thanksgiving for You give us our, ‘But God’ moments. You orchestrate our lives for Your glory. May we in our quiet time recognize You for who You are: our Lord God, the God of Israel.
First, do your own quiet time and 4R journaling. When you are completed, come back here for the lesson.
Request God’s help
Read Psalm 73
Record a verse that stands out to you
Respond to God
But God is strength and portion
There is so much to dig into in this chapter, one could camp out here for a year and still it would not be enough time. After reading this chapter 12 times, this phrase came to me: “God is enough.” Even in our most horrendous moments, in our times of complete disaster of self, God is with us and God is enough. Without Him we are doomed to a judgement of eternal death like those described in the first half of the chapter. And while their life may look and appear to be trial free while in their sinning and non-God following, because they lack hope, even the slightest ick can throw them into despair (verse 19) and they can be destroyed in a moment.
Even in David’s initial lamenting he notes and recognizes that though they appear to have no pangs, they surely will in death. And then, judgement befalls them. So, we know there is a ‘but God’ statement in verse 26, but where was David’s actual moment? Ya, back in verses 16-17. And where did that happen? In the sanctuary of God while worshipping Him. He went to church! With his heart set in worship and in the presence of God, he had a God sighting and his perspective changed.
In verse 23, he recognizes that he has faltered before God and yet, that was not the end of him, God did not leave him. Quite contrary to that in fact, God was continually with him and not just that, but holding his hand, too! God never does the bare minimum for His children, He does it all to the fullest and them some more!
When faced with envy, jealousy and lamenting over someone else’s seemingly great fortune while willfully ignoring the God who created them, remember to go before God with that. Stand in His presence in worship, seek His refuge and strength and stand in faith and acknowledgement. When we are in step with our Father, those ‘but God’ moments are profound and life changing! Those moments of confession and release of them upon Him who forgives; our posture before Him is everything.
But God is the strength of our heart, He is our portion. God will not leave you, He will not forget you. Exactly opposite, He will be with you continually all while holding your hand.
“My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.”
Psalm 84:2
(Further Reading: 1 Chronicles 15:19; 25:1-2 )
We praise You, God, for You are the God steadfast. Our souls long for you and we sing for joy to You!
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.
Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.
My Verse: Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
2 Comments. Leave new
Psalm 73:21 “Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.”
I love this look at our thought lives. We need to be on the look out for bitterness in our hearts and root it out when we discover it there. Solomon admonishes us “above all else guard your heart.” (Proverbs 4:23). The author Hebrews tells us to guard against a “root of bitterness” that “springs up and causes trouble” (Hebrews 12:15). Bitterness poisons our spirit and corrodes our relationships with others. Thank You, Father, for repeated reminders in Your Word to be vigilant in watching for it within us! Instead, Lord, as I grow old let me say like Asaph, about my heart: “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:26).
God is enough, and He is our Refuge! When we run to Him, take refuge in Him, THEN we will find understanding. We will understand everything we need to understand and we will find peace and realize that we are okay and we will be okay! “…it troubled me deeply UNTIL I entered the sanctuary of God; THEN I understood (their final destiny)…You hold me by by right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory…As for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge!” And others may have strong, healthy bodies, but they wear pride like a necklace! I don’t want to wear pride like a necklace! That sounds like a heavy burden! I’d rather have Jesus’ yoke, especially since we know how much God hates pride! They have “callous hearts”; I want a soft heart that God can mold and that can hear my Shepherd’s Voice!! People turn to them and admire & respect them and “drink up waters in abundance.” I’m not sure who’s doing the drinking, but I’d rather be drinking the Living Water! That’s the only thing that will truly satisfy! I don’t want to drink the water people can give, and I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into your Master’s rest!”