The Lord Is Near
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. Psalm 73:23-26
The tender, hope filled promises in these verses come from the realization that God alone gives understanding, brings wisdom and is forever faithful to His children. In the preceding verses the psalmist has come to see his lack of understanding before God as “senseless and ignorant.” God has taught him what he was unable to see on his own, and he confesses his sin before God. The description in these verses gives such great assurance for those who trust in the Lord. We are reminded that God never leaves us alone, He always holds us close and gives us wisdom and understanding. When the Lord has led us safely through this earthly life and has taught us to follow Him, He will take us home to be with Him forever. Over and over the Bible confirms the truth of these verses. What does it mean that God is always with us? Just as Moses told the nation of Israel, “[God] will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6), we can know when we belong to Him nothing will keep Him from us. The psalmist has been wrestling over the prosperity of the wicked and whether it is in vain to keep his heart pure, yet when he humbly sought the Lord, the Lord did not leave him, but instead gave him understanding. He can declare with assurance that God is always with him. Psalm 145:18 tells us, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
As believers, we can rest in the truth that God is near to us and will never leave us, and He will faithfully teach us His ways. The psalmist also declares God holds him by his right hand. Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do Not fear; I will help you.” If you have ever held a child’s hand to cross a busy street or if someone has asked to hold your hand going into a crowded place, you know it brought safety and protection. The comfort in holding hands with someone means we will not get lost or slip away. We are protected, held close and lead safely. That is the assurance we have as God holds us by the hand.
God will also guide us with His counsel. The psalmist can testify to this because he has sought the Lord for understanding and the Lord has taught him. As Christians, we can rest in knowing the Lord will guide us with His counsel. When we believe in Jesus and confess that He is Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us and guide us. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. We daily follow His guidance in our lives. Because of this truth, let us join in the declaration of the last two verses: we have none but God, and there is nothing we desire besides Him. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
-Jennifer
