Psalm 73:21-26 - July 28, 2009

Ps 73:21-26 "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." NIV

Grief and bitterness are like a poison working in the spirit of man. It is natural to suffer grief at the loss of a loved one or some other tragedy but there is a normal healthy process we are intended to go through to allow that grief to work through us as we find comfort in the Lord. In psalm 73 the psalmist is reflecting on what his bitterness and grief had produced in his heart. It made him senseless and ignorant, even beast like in his attitude before God. Bitterness clouds how we think. Rationality is pushed aside and a strange force darkens our thoughts as we tend to let accusing or depressive thoughts gain influence for a season in the flow of our minds. It is during this process that we must wrestle with our thoughts and fight to replace the darkness of this bitterness with the light that comes from God’s word.
Bitterness is deeply associated with a sense of loss; whether a lost loved one, lost opportunity, lost resources, lost relationship, lost respect or some other form of loss. When we are struck by a painful disappointment such as these many times our perspectives about the future are equally damaged resulting in a loss of hope. The scriptures refer to the impact that this has upon the heart in Prov 13:12 which states “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” and it is this heart sickness that when left unchallenged by meditation upon the scriptures grows up into bitterness and grief. In Psalm 73 the psalmist describes a bit of his struggle as he has wrestled with the pain of a bitter spirit. The good news is his story does not end in bitterness. Though he has tasted a season of pain he is restored to his confidence in God. He maintains a positive confession that is centered around his hope in the Lord. In Verses 23-26 the psalmist writes “… 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.” This confession has six tremendous assertions of faith that are hope builders. Confession one: “I am not alone because I am with you.” Confession two: “God, you are in charge, you have me by the hand”. Confession three: “My life still has direction, because you are guiding me.” Confession four: “There is an even greater eternal destiny awaiting me.” Confession five: “I am an eternal being and that is where my life focus is.” Confession six: “Even though I may struggle in my human emotions for a season I will find my strength in the Lord.”
When our lives have been touched by pain it is vital that we learn to fight for the focus of our thought lives. During times of trial it is a common occurrence to be tempted by bitter or hopeless thoughts. In those times we must remember these confessions and direct our hearts towards God. We cannot allow our minds to be overcome by our grief. Turn to the Lord in your pain and be strengthened by the riches of his word. Trade heartsickness for hopefulness, mourning for joy! The ministry of the Holy Spirit of God into your life is the same today as it was in the time of Christ which he spoke of during his earthly ministry: Isa 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning.” Turn your eyes to the Lord and your heart towards His word and He will meet you with gladness that can overcome any bitter thought or painful grief and restore you to a life full of hope and meaning.