07
God is the Strength of My Heart
Carl HigashiPsalm 73:1, 25-28
Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!
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 strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.
There is only one God and He is good to His people, those whom are pure in heart.
Then after much complaint about the successes of the wicked, in verse 25, the psalmist realizes that he is fallen. He is reminded that he would be nothing without God. He remembers that God is his strength and portion (share or inheritance) for eternity, forever and ever.
Those who don’t know God will not only die physically, but will also loose eternal life. Those who are unfaithful to You will be destroyed.
For the psalmist the closer he is to God the better things are for him. This doesn’t exclude the psalmist from trials, but helps him to remember that through God’s power, he can overcome any circumstance. God is his my shelter, protection, and safe harbor. Because of this, the psalmist is called to give Him alone praise, honor, and glory and proclaim Him to the nations.
Everything starts with the purity of my heart for Jesus. Each day as I study God’s word may I never just do my devotions just to check a “box”. Instead of Bible study, may I always allow the Bible to study me, and my inner most parts of my heart.
This reminds me to simply do the following daily:
- Prayer – in this time always remembering that I am about to enter His presence, remembering that I am in the presence of the God of the Universe, meeting with the King of kings, the great I AM. Remember deep times in devotions is what honors God most. Times when I am all ears to hear what He has for me.
- Confess sin, God is Holy He wants me to be holy unto Him.
- Repent, change and never be the same.
In doing this daily, I am kept moldable, correctable, and humbled to an almighty God.
Lord today I am reminded that my closeness to You is determined by the purity of my heart. Lord my devotions and prayer life are crucial to my closeness to You. The life lessons that You are trying to teach me may not be found unless my full attention is given to You. I’m sorry for times my mind may be preoccupied.
Lord, change my heart by your Spirit, by your Word. Thank you for your law that leads me to your grace. May You be praised, You who is the strength of my heart, my portion till eternity. To You I am called to give praise to all the nations! Love you Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
