Human Response 840: Draw Near to God and Trust God

Psalm 73:28 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.

“They” that are far from God will perish; they will be destroyed that go after other gods. As sinners, we are born separated from God, which is death. The Psalmist sees this and responds with the desire and determination that he will draw near to God, and trust in Him. God sees the separation but loves us so that He sends His Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, be dead to God and be separated from life.

The Lord lifts up Jesus on the cross and draws all people to Him with limitless love. He gives the Holy Spirit to draw us near to God and to life through the Gospel. The Word convicts us of being far from Him and it compels us to draw near because of Christ. When we hear the gospel we believe, that is, draw near. What really happens is that God draw near to us, forgives us, enters into the heart, and lives in us.

Then we declare all His works, what He has done, with gospel words and kind deeds, telling everyone what He has done. Our life and behavior shows forth God’s love, and through us He draws others near. We begin by drawing near to God through daily repentance and prayer.

Human Response 839: Trust God’s Guidance and Desire Him Alone

Psalm 73:24-26 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me in glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire before thee. My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Asaph responds to the troubles of life but trusting God alone for love, care, presence, protection, and guidance. And he trusts God to receive him in glory at the end of his troubled life. Not only will God guide us through life, but we know He will receive us into eternal glory when we die, because of Christ.

We can believe God all through life and through death. Because of His gracious promise, we are confident He guides us now in life and then in death. There is nothing and no one in heaven that I have but the Lord alone, so I turn to Him. And there is nothing and no one in earth that I desire instead of the Lord alone. I believe Him, I know Him, and I desire God alone in this life and the next.

I by myself will surely fail, but God enters my life through the Gospel and strengthens my heart. He is mine forever. Jesus never fails.

Human Response 838: Understand their End and be Grieved

Psalm 73:17, 21 When I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end…Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

When we get into the Word of God and come into His Presence we understand the end result for unbelievers. We understand the character of God, His holiness and love, His judgment and mercy. And instead of rejoicing in God’s eternal judgment of our ungodly enemies, we are grieved at heart and pierced in our mind, for these are human beings, who have rejected God and spurned His love. Our appropriate response to the judgment of unbelievers is sadness, not glee.

We are glad and rejoice in our forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation, but saddened about the end for unbelievers. Our love for all people prompts us to pray for them and share the gospel, so that some might be saved, through faith. Our grieving over the final judgment of unbelievers moves us to make disciples of all nations. Grief is caused by love for the lost and condemned. But “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.”

Human Response 837: The Ungodly don’t Believe, but I Cleanse my Heart

Psalm 73:11-13 And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge of the Most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

The atheist says there is no God; the agnostic says we can’t know if there is a God. These are the ungodly who prosper in this life. And it seems to the faithful that they get away with unbelief and ignorance of God, and get earthly riches anyway. They will end in death with nothing.

But it is not so with me: I respond by believing God, trusting His holiness and love. Therefore, I cleanse my heart and wash my hands, by confession, repentance, faith, and receiving life. God not only demands cleanliness and holiness, He also grants it by grace through faith. We acknowledge that we are answerable to God, and that God has provided the answer in Christ.

Since we are still unclean sinners, we daily cleanse our hearts and hands (thoughts and behavior) through repentance and faith. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” We get dirty walking in this world; we get cleansed believing in Jesus Christ.

Human Response 836: Envy of the Rich Unbeliever Causes me to Slip

Psalm 73:2-3 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious of the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Asaph admits that he was losing his grip, or his footing, when he saw the prosperity of the unbeliever. His response was sinful envy: “I want what they have.” Envy is one of the seven deadly sins, deadly because it leads us away from God and life and finally to eternal death. 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through craving that some have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Note that it is not money itself that is evil but the love of money. Greed and envy is the problem that we confess, and this is endemic to all people, whether rich or poor. It takes God’s grace to forgive and God’s Spirit to overcome. It is through the Gospel that we recognize the sinful response, repent, receive forgiveness, and have the power to overcome.

Two strong themes wind their way through this Psalm: 1) the wicked prosper, leaving the godly to wonder why they bother to be good, and 2) the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that the faithful wish they could trade places. But these two themes come to unexpected ends: wealth loses its power at death, and the rewards of the godly take on eternal value.

We respond to earthly poverty by focusing on true heavenly riches, and the Spirit grants faith to see the End.

Human Response 835: Bless God and His Name

Psalm 72:18-19 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

Our response to the Lord’s greatness and goodness is to bless Him and to bless His glorious name. For our God has done wondrous things for us, for our good, and for our life. The whole earth shows forth His glory; therefore we bless His name forever. We bless God for His awesome Creation of the universe and of us. We bless God for His marvelous work of Redemption in Christ

To bless God is to say wonderful things about Him and good things to Him. We can’tb make Him feel better; of course, we can’t do that, but it makes us feel better. Our spirits are lifted when we lift Him up. The more blessed God is in our hearts and minds the more blessed we are. We know, believe, and feel the glorious goodness of God when we bless His Holy Name.

Human Response 834: Praise, Sing and Rejoice

Psalm 71:22-24 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God; unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. my lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee, and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long, for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

After reflecting on a long life of blessing, the psalm writer responds to what God has done for him and through him. He takes up the psaltery to praise God and the harp to sing unto the Lord. He uses his lips to rejoice and sing He talks with his tongue about the goodness of God all day long.

The Lord has redeemed his soul, and his whole self (soul) rejoices and sings because of God’s great salvation. He praises God for defeating his enemies that try to hurt him. He has the Lord on his mind all day long, every day, and speaks of God’s goodness at every opportunity. It is in this sense of constant awareness of God’s presence that we live our daily lives and enjoy Him forever.

Human Response 833: Hope and Praise Continually

Psalm 71:14-15 But I will hope continually, and wil yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

My response to the Lord’s never-ending love and daily mercies is to hope continually and praise Him more and more. And, while living a life with hope and praise always in my heart and on my lips, I will tell everyone what He has done. My very demeanor, my words and actions, show forth His righteousness and salvation every day as long as I live.

Just as I never lose hope, so I will never stop the praise that is a constant attitude of my heart and life. Hope and praise is the way in which faith in the Gospel acknowledges, believes,, receives, and enjoys the Life that God gives on account of Christ. In a life of praise, the heart is always poised toward God and ready at any time to express praise to God. In this way the heart is light, free, and happy. Praise confirms the hope and produces more and more praise, and the cycle continues.

Human Response 832: Praise and Give Glory all Day Long

Psalm 71:8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

We respond to God’s Love, Life, and Salvation continuously all day long every day (24/7) with praise and glory. When we fill our mouth with praise and glory, we are truly blessed and there is no space for other words and thoughts. Praising God fills us with His life and love. Praising God is a way for us to consciously receive the love of God by faith. And we feel so much better in our soul when His Spirit touches it.

And the Good News is that we can respond this way any time, all day long, for God is always good and His mercy endures forever. Though our life may not be going the way we want, God is always good and always worthy of our praise. This is true no matter what we feel. Therefore, we can praise Him all day long, and when we focus on Him our mouth is filled with praise, and not with complaining, blaming, or negative words. Thoughts of God and His glorious goodness fills the heart with love, joy, and peace, and a deep knowing that He is in charge of our life for our good.

Human Response 852: Be a Strong Fortress, Save and Deliver

Psalm 71:3-4 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

In his distress and threats from enemies, David turns to God and prays for salvation and deliverance from the wicked enemies that want to destroy him. He believes the Lord is doing just that as he prays. He trusts the Lord to speak a word give forth a command to save. “Deliver us from evil.”

Because of Jesus God is for us. He is our Protector, Savior, and Deliverer. I will not fear what man can do unto me. The Lord is on my side, Who can be against us?

God alone is my rock and my fortress. Jesus, by His blood, has brought us into God’s strong habitation. We are with Him, in His presence, in His safe place, in His fortress, in His strong habitation. He lives in us, He is with us always wherever we are, and we live in His presence always and everywhere.

Our response to the troubles and threats that surround us is to go in. We enter into His strong habitation by faith every time we hear and remember the Gospel.