Nothing on Earth I Desire Except You

Psalms 73:25 ESV+  Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

 This is one of the most quoted verses of Scripture, well loved among bible Christians.  But have we ever really sat down and meditated on what this means?

The first question, the first line, is easy to accept.  Those of us who are growing with God and His Word know that there is no one else in heaven that we have except God.  Even with all the angels, and Christian saints who have gone before us, there is no one there that we have except God.

I think it’s the second line that we need to pause and ponder upon – "and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you".  Really?  Easy to say, but in reality it is a struggle in our hearts.

One of the hardest things to surrender to the Lord are our desires.  Yes, plural – “desires”, for in our hearts we have many desires.  And all of those desires are found on earth.  We may have one or two “heavenly” or spiritual desires, but they are outweighed by the desires that this world feeds to us everyday.

Just look at how the psalm begins:

Psalms 73:1-3 ESV+  A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  (2)  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.  (3)  For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 

It begins with a statement of faith – “Truly God is good…to those who are pure in heart”.  But it is quickly drowned out by ENVY.  And this envy is focused on those who are arrogant and wicked, and the prosperity that they have.

Isn’t this a question many Christians have in their hearts – why do the wicked enjoy the world?  Why are they the ones who are prosperous, who have nice cars, and big houses?  Why are they the ones with the most expensive gadgets, jewellery and “toys for the big boys”.

We see it everywhere, all around us.  And our hearts naturally envy.  And the danger comes when we begin to think “why should I remain righteous if I can’t enjoy the things that they have?”.

 But in the middle of the psalm a revival seems to happen.

Psalms 73:16-17 ESV+  But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,  (17)  until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

 Only in the presence of God, where we are graciously given His understanding of life, can we really see things clearly.

This is what lead to the psalmist saying “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

 How essential it is for believers to continually dwell in the presence of God in prayer, worship and His Word everyday!  It brings us away from the materialism and greed of this world into what really matters – God and God alone.  And this is where we find the strength to re-focus our hearts on heavenly things, rather than in this world.  And no matter how our hearts fail, God will always bring us back to Him

Psalms 73:26 ESV+  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

And in His presence we find the greatest good that our hearts can ever experience.

Psalms 73:28 ESV+  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

 

Go and tell it on the mountains!  Shout it!  This is what true Christianity is – standing in this world, proclaiming that there is nothing in this earth that can really satisfy us except God.  We were all born with the natural tendency to seek the things of this earth.  Our sinful nature has given us a heart that seeks peace and satisfaction away from God and in the things of this earth.  The good news is by His grace, He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us from this sinful nature, and bring us to a life that is truly life – a life eternal, a life that is knows that there is nothing else to desire in this world except God Himself.