Psalm 73

Psalm 73
BOOK III : Psalms 73-89
1A psalm of Asaph.
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. [a]
5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity [b] ; he evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice; n their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. [c]
11 They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
12 This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth.
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Chin Ling: Its true. So often, I have to battle between my ambitious dreams and desires with the Lord's mission and will in my life. All these ambitious dreams and desires that overwhelms me always fall into perspective and does not feel as important anymore when I come before the Lord (V16-17). I want to keep it clear and right that in my life, God will be my strength. In him, things will not and cannot go wrong. I will turn my eyes upon Jesus and the things of earth will grow strangly dim in the light of his glory and grace.

Aileen: I always struggle at work because i see so many unethical practices taking place and when i see the school politics at work, i often shake my head in disbelief. The thing is i'm really reminded that God is my strength and that he is a righteous God and I belief that when i set my eternity on him, everything else is just temporal. so.. vindicate me lord! haha

Sara: Surely the Lord has been good to me, and yet, I have almost slipped and lost my foothold many times, for I envied the arrogant when i saw the prosperity of their ways and desired the same for myself. But the Lord shall be my staff and my strength, and the path that I shall choose will be the one that He has chosen for me. Let not my desires and impatience get the better of me, and hinder the Lord from doing His work in my life. And indeed, it is truly good to be near the Lord, for He keeps me from yielding to temptation and from going my own way. Thank you Lord, let me stay near you all the days of my Life!

Crow: I find this psalm so honest and true... So many times i so easily lose my footing and almost slip, but the Lord is so so good and merciful.. In verse 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Indeed so many times my heart and my flesh fail... I pray that God will always be the strength of my heart and my portion forever.. Yup dear Lord please be the strength of my heart!!!!

Dellia: keep my heart pure Lord, that I will always do what is right and believe in it!