To me Psalm 73 is a very relatable psalm. (Please take a few minutes to read it.) We know that God is good…that He is good to those who are pure in heart. But just as the psalmist says, it is easy to slip from that, to be taken in by those around you. He writes that everyone, especially those who are sinful, around him seems to be succeeding, even flourishing. He confesses that he almost stumbled because he grew envious and wondered why he was working so hard to stay godly. With today’s social media, it is easy to fall into the comparison trap. We live in a very pressured culture… media and social pressure and even the government seem to be telling us how to live… even how to be Christians.
It can seem if all the work and effort and perseverance and purity we strive for is all in vain…Trying to wade through the media and political mess and hear truth…. Trying to decipher who is right and who is wrong and what to believe and think and do… Trying to understand what all is going on… is troublesome, painful, a “wearisome task”. And boy-howdy, have I felt that this past 12 months… I’m exhausted and burned out.
But then the psalmist uses an important word: “UNTIL”… “until I went into the sanctuary of God;” … In other words, he was trying to live a pure life and gain understanding all on his own. But when he turned to God for understanding, when he humbled his own prideful, unpure heart and admits his own sin, then it’s as if the fog clears and his “godly eyesight” returns.
He saw those that he had been envious of and he saw their end. He was reminded that the wicked will receive justice and parish in the end and that the godly will receive mercy. It is in this moment that the psalmist confesses his foolishness and ignorance; “Like a beast before You!” But it is also this moment when the psalmist boldly claims how he will live his life: with God as his council, strength and refuge.
This past year I have walked in slippery places. Leaning on my own heart and flesh was tempting, and when I did, I have found myself weary and troubled. But when I looked to God, I found wisdom and hope. I was reminded of where I’m headed and why I live as I do. I was reminded that a “new” virus or a “new” government official or a “new” anything else doesn’t change God’s Word or how I am expected to live it. My weary heart found refuge from a world gone crazy. And most importantly, I was reminded of who the true strength of my heart is. Verse 26 says” My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
My fleshly body, my earthly logic, my weary tempted heart will fail me, but God will not. He is, always has been and always will be strong. I can fully rely on and fully trust Him. I am weak but He is strong. He is my rock, my foundation, the STRENGTH OF MY HEART!
So let’s live the boldness of this psalm…not caught up in the world, not leaning on ourselves, but looking to God for council, refuge, eternal hope, and as the ever- present strength of our hearts!
