“Nevertheless I am continually with You” (Psalms 73:23)

Psalm 73 is full of complaints to God. Look at it as if you’re participating in a small group therapy session, where participants express spontaneous feelings without fear of being judged. As you agree with the writer, you’ll expose your self-pity and envy, and learn in the end, after all the complaints, “nevertheless, I’m always with You, God”.

He starts off with a statement of faith, that God is good to His saints, but then looks for sympathy: “I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men”.

Then, he lets his emotions go wild: “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”. He complains that the life of a saint is restrictive for no good reason, because God doesn’t reward saints for righteous living. Of course, this is false, but if it weren’t for Heaven and Hell, what the Apostle Paul said, would be logical: “If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" (1 Corinthians 15:32).

Finally, the session is almost over, and he comes to his senses: “My heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. 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. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73).

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