Psalm 73:21-26

“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.”

THE STRENGTH OF MY HEART

1. Dormant Strength

(21) “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you!”

A. When we don’t rely on God’s strength, it becomes dormant.

(1-3) “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

(4-5) “They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.”

B. When we begin envying the world, we stop relying on God’s strength.

(16-20) “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me – till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are thy destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies.”

2. Dependent Strength

(23-24) “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.”

A. Strength that completely depends on God – not on me.

B. I am “always” with God:

i. God “took hold” of my right hand.

ii. God “guides me” with His counsel.

iii. God “will take me” into glory.

3. Desired Strength

(25) “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.”

A. God is all I desire in this world.

B. I spend a lot of time alone with God.

C. God is my only parent.

4. Divine Strength

(26) “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”