2022 0123 Psalm 73

Psalm 73:21 to 28

21 When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

22 I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Human Condition - Victim

21 When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

22 I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

we have all been here at some point in our life

before our salvation this was us

some may be here at this very time

the author exposes the deep emotional turmoil of separation from God

there is the realization of all the struggles a righteous and holy person has in following Jesus

The Flags of Sin

he does not miss with his assessment

grieved, embittered in the heart

senseless and ignorant are the expressions from the heart

a person of beauty designed by God for all good things

corrupted by sin, shaped by turmoil and tragedy

now a brute completely foreign to what God has made

we can feel trapped shackled by the weight of our existence

Divine reality

23 Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

a clarion call of hope and

the truth of godly man is revealed

God is with me

too often we say where is God?

verse 11

The New International Version Psalm 73

They say, “How would God know?

Does the Most High know anything?

that is a human response not spiritual

when things go wrong do we start to doubt, start to question

verse 13

The New International Version Psalm 73

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.

we begin to doubt our spiritual connection

we doubt the value of our righteous living

yet the reality of God must be stronger then the turmoil of the world

the reality of God is far greater than our human wisdom and experience

God is with us, holding our right hand

God is strength, God is our refuge

Jesus is our saviour

Human Realization

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

only one is available, only one is sufficient

I will refuse to accept the lie

I will live in faith

I am with God in the good and in the bad

The Futility of the Earth

this earth has nothing even remotely helpful

there is no messiah here to bring us out of our mess

we may find a job or financial security , we may find love

yet our heart can be hurting

yet our mind can be in meltdown

we are only too aware of our human failings

there has to be a divine solution

a solution whose very essence is in this psalm

The Strength of God

here is our full measure

God is the strength of my heart

human weakness replaced by godly strength

a strength promised in this psalm

a promise fulfilled in Christ

Exodus 15:2 NIV

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

repeated in Psalm 118

Our Choice

27 Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds

to reinforce the point of the futile and the divine

the reality of life lived outside of God

those will perish, their destiny is destruction

yet the scriptures declare the glory of God in the darkest pronouncements

we can speak words resonating with the negative and with judgement

or we can declare the true message of God’s Word

The Salvation

* 28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

it is good to be near God

today we say it is good to be in God

to know and to love Jesus

here is the declaration

this is a commitment of life , a determination of knowing the truth

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge

Our Need

is your heart in pain or grief

Is your mind in turmoil

then make the Lord your refuge - your safe place, your protection

he will not disappoint he will not fail