Psalm 73 – God is the Strength of My Heart
(by Vincent Jiam)
The psalmist proclaimed the goodness of God towards the pure-hearted and the nation of Israel.
Yet he confesses that he had almost slipped. The psalmist recounted his own bitterness and alluded to the fall due to his envy of the success, health, and wealth of the proud. He laments their arrogant and violent speech and thoughts.
Seeing seemingly no harm would befall the proud, the psalmist said that he had almost given up on righteous living. Such a thought had brought him parental chastisement from the Lord every morning. He painfully tried to comprehend his suffering. Then the psalmist finally understood when he entered the temple of the Lord. The proud have no inheritance in the Lord’s presence. They are not there. Though chastised, the beloved child was the one to inherit all the goodness of the Lord.
The psalmist remembers the Lord by his side always. It was the Lord who took the psalmist by his hand. The Lord is faithful to his own. Beyond physical failures, the psalmist declares strength from the Lord, his wonderful deeds, and the safety and refuge that is faithfully found, always only in the Lord.
Let’s Read Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12 This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
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.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love for me. Please forgive my doubts and sins. Keep my eyes away from envy of others. Keep my ears on your Word. Keep my heart in the refuge of your wings. Carry me through life with the victory in Your Son every day. In the beloved name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
This devotional was kindly contributed by Dr. Chow Li Sze and her channel Heavenly Devotion. You may find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/HeavenlyDevotion/videos
About the Heavenly Devotion channel
The Heavenly Devotion channel is dedicated to encouraging you to listen to Bible Scriptures and pray with the Scriptures. They are inspired by the call of service as expressed and exemplified by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12 NKJV)
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