Grace For The Journey

  The Bible says in Psalm 73:23-24, “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”

One of the most dangerous habits of thought

Among Christians is to underestimate God.

We underestimate His abilities, intent,

And His awareness in our lives.

Psalm 73 is a very powerful picture of one’s personal heart confusion when a Christian underestimates God.  The inspired writer looks at the ways of the world around him and sees a world upside down where evil goes unpunished (Verse 1–12).  In fact, the wickedness of the world seems to produce prosperity, pride, and persecution at the expense of the good.  Someone commented on the writer’s situation, “His heart calibration has slowly, but steadily, been ratcheted out of whack.”

Verses 12–16 give utterance to the confusion of his heart.  The conflict rages within as the psalmist says, “Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.” Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence, for all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning” … “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me.” 

When the psalmist looked around he got confused.

It seemed that the wayward and wicked

Were thriving and happy –

The exact opposite of what he expected.

The key verse in the chapter is verse 17, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.”

In the presence of God,

The reach and sovereignty

Of the Eternal One

Comes into view.

Good will prevail, the righteous will be vindicated, and wickedness will inevitably be punished.  Learning from God’s Word about His nature helps the believer in recalibrating his heart.

The rest of the chapter

Is designed to provide

The reader with a window

Into the thinking

Of the repentant believer

As God recalibrates his heart.

Verses 21 and 22 spell out this repentance, which prepares the psalmist to be recalibrated to the divine standard.  The author lists four truths which reset the heart upon appropriate parameters, in verses 23 and 24.  The psalmists concludes his personal evaluation in verses 25 through 26 where he reviews the personal blessings from God true for every believer which lift the heart of the faithful ever higher in exultation.

The first calibration mark is the power of the presence of God.  The psalmist declares in verse 23a, “But as for me, I am continually with You.”

Do not dare to underestimate

The power of the presence of God.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 31:8, “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”  Jesus gave us His promise in Matthew 28:220b, “And lo, I am with you always; even to the end of the age.”  And the Bible says in Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”

The second calibration mark is the power of the will of God.  The psalmist states in verse 23b, “You hold me by my right hand.”

Do not dare to underestimate

The power of the will of God.

When we were children and effectively forced to follow the direction of our parents by a firm hold of our little hand.  As children of God, He has a sure grip upon us and is insistently drawing us to Him and prompting us along by His loving grasp.

The third calibration mark is of the clear perspective of the wisdom of God.  The psalmist proclaims in verse 24a, “You will guide me with Your counsel.”

Do not dare to underestimate

The power of the clear wisdom of God.

Wise parents reinforce their parenting with words of wisdom repeated throughout the upbringing of the children and throughout the remainder of their lifetime.  It is a blessed child who can freely come back to the refreshing spring of wisdom from godly parents.  We need to be reminded that God is the fountainhead of every refreshing spring of wisdom and we must look to Him, learn from Him, and lean upon Him.

The fourth calibration mark is the power of assurance of eternal life.  The psalmist confidently states in verse 24b, “and afterward receive me to glory.”

Do not dare to underestimate

The power of assurance of eternal life with God.

So many things in this life produces anxiety, fear, and worry.  How wonderful it is to be able to face the future and the unknown with certainty and confidence knowing that our sovereign Lord is in control and is working out everything for our good and His glory.  Live with eternity’s values in view.

What causes confusion and heartbreak in your life?  Can you identify the causes and your responses? Perhaps a recalibration is in order so that you can run true and not underestimate God.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”