Whom have I in heaven but you?

I have a confession to make. I struggle with pride. I also struggle with insecurity. Strange combination, isn't it? I also have a hard time REALLY getting my mind around my true position in Christ. I know that I'm a child of God, have a delightful inheritance, and am sealed with the Holy Spirit. I also know that I am lowly and poor, have a heart and flesh that will fail, and have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But, what does all of that REALLY mean?

The Psalms are a wonderful picture of a person's sincere struggle with who they are and more importantly, WHO GOD IS.

God is our helper and deliverer!

In Psalm 70, David cried out to God for help, protection, and deliverance from his human enemies. Since we know that David was not poor and lowly in human terms, I believe he was expressing to God his lowliness of spirit or his lowliness without God. He humbled himself before God recognizing that only God could save Him. David's testimony and example to us is powerful. He was one of the most wealthy and powerful man at that time AND was also a very godly man. However, he knew he was nothing without God knew he needed God's deliverance.

God is our refuge and our hope!

The author of Psalm 71 (possibly David) said that God has been his confidence since youth. God was his refuge, a Person in whom to seek comfort and stability in an unstable world. The Psalmist had hope in God and praised Him because if it. He knew there was no one else like God. He knew from personal experience because had proven Himself over and over.

God is our righteousness and provider!

Psalm 72 is a prayer for King Solomon. The author (probably David or Solomon), prayed to God that Solomon's reign would be honorable and prosperous. I have to be honest and say that when I first read this Psalm, I thought it was selfish (remember, I'm just being honest). However, the more I read and thought about it, the more I realize this Psalm is a sincere prayer that was honoring to God. The prayer was for wisdom and confidence in making some very tough (and probably unpopular) decisions. The prayer was requesting prosperity for the people, the Israelites, God's Chosen People. The prayer was was for wisdom to issue fair judgements between two people, to defend those in pain, to save the children of the needy, and to be strong against his enemies (enemies of God's People). At the end of this prayer, the Psalmist praises God and acknowledges that God alone does marvelous deeds.

God is our strength and portion forever!

In Psalm 73, Asaph states and honest struggle that most of us can relate to today. He was angry because others were prosperous. He could not understand why God would allow the "wicked" to be rich, healthy, and strong. When he enters the sanctuary of God, he understood their final destiny. If there is any question about whether or not we need to be in church or spending time daily in fellowship with God, this should help clarify! God revealed to Asaph that these people and their riches were temporal. His worries and jealousy were senseless and ignorant. As a result of this revelation, Asaph was humbled and recognized God as the ultimate treasure.

These Psalmists had struggles just like we do. They also had active faith in the Living God. Sure, they may have been successful and prosperous in worldly terms. However, their earthly struggles and treasures meant nothing in comparison to their personal relationship with God and their knowledge of Him.

Paul encourages New Testament believers to have faith and hope in things eternal. May we continue to learn to turn our eyes to Jesus to know Him more and to seek comfort and godly confidence in who we are as daughters of the King!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see."
~ Hebrews 11:1

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. "
~ 2 Corinthians 4:18