I was sitting having breakfast with my husband at an outdoor café when we noticed the cap a girl at a nearby table was wearing. It was a plain hat on the front, but in small letters across the back, it said “Psalm 73:26.” Using the Bible on my phone, I looked up the scripture reference. Because I keep that Bible in The Message version, it was hard to distinguish the division of verses. So I changed back to the NIVUK and read these words, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
We are not sure of the authorship of this particular psalm but we can identify with the situations he describes. A weakness of the flesh often refers to a physical impairment. The writer may have suffered from actual corporal problems that left him at a disadvantage with others. Perhaps illness, long-term or debilitating, had resulted in a life with limited opportunities. “Desires of the flesh” could have led to poor decisions and entanglements. “Heart failure,” however leads one to suspect faith issues. The heart, poetically the door to the soul, indicates where we place our confidence, what we believe, and who we trust.
The writer of this Psalm is most likely not King David. But its issues could reflect his own life story. Pictured as the man after God’s own heart, he experienced the extremes of life, both in accomplishments and in personal choices. Like the author of the Psalm, he saw his enemies flourish and those who would deny God take positions of power and authority, “free of care” and “amassing wealth.” Not wanting to question aloud lest the faith of others be weakened, he wrestled with his doubt. Why was his life in such confusion?
As Christians, many of us can identify with the Psalmist. Why does life take such downturns? Why do the faithful suffer or become disoriented or misguided? The answer lies within the question – because life is filled with contradictions and confusion. While it is joy and fulfillment, it is also disease and disruption. There are times when the wicked flourish, when we question the deepest part of our awareness. Why?
But this is not the end of the psalm. There is power in the final words of this verse. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The Message rings true in its contemporary explanation of this verse.
"You are all I want in Heaven! You are all I want on earth…God is rock-firm and faithful.”
Yes, life brings hardships, and sometimes, those who are evil seem to come out on top. But God is rock-firm. He is in control. And all who belong to Him will flourish in the promise that, in good times and hard, He is beside us, whispering to us- This is not the end. There is more that I have for you, much more.
Jesus' crucifixion ended an earthly life of goodness, plagued by criticism and rejection. But just as He died, He shouted in a loud voice, “Father, I entrust my spirit into Your hands!” In His pain, Jesus quoted from scripture – Psalms 31:5. “I entrust my spirit into Your hands. Rescue me, Lord, for You are a faithful God.” We know that God is faithful and ever-present. He is all we need. His love is everlasting and His promises are true. We rest on the words of the Psalmist. “I am in the very presence of God.”