SCRIPTURE:  Whom have I in heaven [but You]? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26 AMP

THOUGHT: Chronicles says the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chron. 16:9 NIV). Our eyes, however, can range to and fro, wondering what in the world is going on. As the ancient songwriter (Asaph in this case) looks around, he sees injustice and how evil people never seems to have the same troubles that plague him. He says his feet almost slip because he is “envious of the arrogant” and “the prosperity of the wicked.”

By the end of Psalm 73, Asaph has worked out his slipping feet and envious heart. Maybe the eyes of the Lord found him and strengthened him, because he didn’t slip and fall, he almost slipped, and there’s a big difference between the two. He comes into the sanctuary and lifts his eyes up away from the stuff of earth. He sees that in his bitterness, he was “senseless and ignorant…like a beast” before God.

Like Asaph, I must often remember the end of the story, looking up away from the stuff of earth to say, “who have I in heaven but you?” And as I look around, I realize I don’t really want the things unbelievers are chasing anyway. As long as the presence of God goes with me, that is what I need most on this earthly journey. I understand that my flesh and heart may fail, but God! I’m not trusting myself. God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.

SONG: He Will Hold Me Fast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=936BapRFHaQ

PRAYER: Oh God, you are my rock, the strength my heart needs to go on. You are my portion. I have everything that I need, hallelujah. Help us keep our eyes on you as the world around us grows ever more troubled.