Have you ever sat in envy as you watched while it seemed that the ones who prospered were those who did not love God while you struggled through life’s trials? It seemed that those who even defiled His Holy name prospered with great wealth while you worshiped God with all your heart and prosperity was never yours–indeed all your work for the Lord, all your giving, all your sacrifice seemed unnoticed by God and man? You were grateful for what you did have; yet, you wondered when will the struggles cease and why did the evil seem to proper so. Your faith was shaken and a tiny seed of doubt entered your mind as you struggled within to continue your work for the Lord. That was true of Asaph. He was a singer of the tribe of Levi. He was appointed to stand before the Ark of the Covenant to praise God all the day long and to sound the cymbals of brass as the Ark was brought and placed in the Tent that King David had pitched to house the Ark. King David had handed his psalms of praise to Asaph who had been appointed chief singer. I am uncertain as to the timing when Asaph had written Psalm 73. Was it before or after this appointment? It is a Psalm that urges each of us as believers to test our own relationship with God. What is that we seek? If you read through verses 2 through 16 you will see the agony of a man questioning his own faith as he looked around him and saw that the wicked seemed to prosper while he "14 For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning". His question had come, was all His faith and sacrifice worth anything? Look at verse 13, "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency" Have you ever been there dear friend? The problem for Asaph and for us is a matter of the heart and wherein lies our focus. As Asaph pondered and even as in verse 2 he cries, "my feet were almost gone and my feet had well nigh slipped" Yet in that moment, then suddenly he came into the sanctuary of God where God’s truth was revealed to him. Suddenly, his foolish eyes were opened to the Glory of God and that is when he proclaimed,
Psalm 73: 22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
Miraculously, everything changed and he suddenly realized that God was his greatest treasure and even more the only treasure worth seeking. All this stuff that he had perceived the wicked had was rubbish, counterfeit treasure compared to what he had which was a relationship with God Almighty. Counterfeit joy and counterfeit treasure were only that–counterfeit and could not fill the heart with peace, hope and joy. In fact, often they lead to despair in this life and certainly they lead to utter darkness in eternity as those who comfort themselves in these earthly pleasures fail to seek God as their treasure. Perhaps the poorest of all are those who cannot see their need of God because of all they have here on earth. Let us look at the declarations that Asaph ultimately recognized and clung to with all his heart.
Declaration #1: "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" When you think of heaven, what is your first thought? Do you merely see it as an escape from hell? Do you follow after Christianity merely to escape from hell? Or do you see it as a place to finally be free from pain and suffering here? Perhaps you see as a means of seeing loved ones who have gone before or for the "streets paved with gold". If these are your reasons for joining a church and attending, then I wonder if you really know Christ. If you do not realize that the greatest treasure of heaven is to see His Glorious face and to fall before Him in love and gratitude; then, do you know Him? Do you seek Him?
Declaration #2: "there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee". What is your hearts greatest desire? Is it money, position, love, happiness, release from suffering, or is it an intimate relationship with God? I daresay that in the jail ministry as the women continuously came with their only request being, "God get me out of here!!" My question to them was, "If God gave you nothing in return for your worshiping Him and if there was no heaven or hell, would you worship Him anyway because of who He is? Would you see Him so Gloriously worthy of your praise that you would bow before Him in loving adoration even if He gave you nothing in return but a moment in His presence? If your answer is no, then my fear is you don’t know Him. If your answer is yes then trust Him for grace to face today and future grace to carry you safely into His loving arms one day. Accept His gift of salvation and all the covenant promises He has provided for His children, call upon His name and let Him be the greatest that you could ever know."
Following these two declarations, Asaph was then able to sing, " My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
What is your heart’s desire?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gaT4q9eJ1U