SCRIPTURE Psalms 73:21-26 NIV When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
THOUGHT: Asaph was a worship leader in ancient Israel. He starts this song with a confession — how his feet almost slipped as he envied those who had no love for God and how they seemed perpetually easy-going (v 1-12). He was supposed to set an example of faith for the worshipers, but on this day, he could have blown his testimony (v. 15-16). The turnaround was a visit to the temple, where God’s presence lifted his eyes to see a bigger picture (v. 17). Finally, he acknowledges what I must also claim: God never turns away from his children, even when we are grieved, embittered, senseless and/or ignorant. In fact, God is holding our hand, offering counsel, and planning a glorious end to this sometimes-perplexing journey. Even if my flesh fails (and it will!); even if my heart fails (and it will!), there is a strength beyond my own holding me — and a beautiful, perfect life just beyond what I can see now.
SONG: He Will Hold Me Fast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsA_UPXnluw
PRAYER NEEDS: That as Christians, we might take time to develop a more robust theology of that beautiful, perfect life ahead, and a trust that we are held!
asipoblog.com 