The In My Dorm Writing Space

— Michael Johnson

“For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Psalms 73:27-28 NASB1995

 

“But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom.”

Psalms 35:13 NASB1995

 

When reflecting on the psalms, it is easy to find oneself simply fixating on the nice-sounding, comforting messages found in the psalms. Even in dedicated-prayer practices, such as a Lectio Divina the prayer person will often disregard larger contextual ideas that reveal something interesting buried within the text. Also, the prayer person will often miss why the psalmist could have been praying petitions and statements under certain circumstances and within larger thought-trains.

As with Psalm 73, many people will quote or find themselves fixating on the “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good,” segment. Another translation says, “But as for me, it is good to be near to God.” Yes, this is a very comforting message that does, in-fact, hold merit on its own. Yet, this psalm reveals more to us regarding spiritual disciplines, fear of the Lord, and commitment to God than what meets the eye. Especially when paired with a perspective on fasting seen in Psalm 35, which will be seen in the following paragraphs.

For ease of conversation, for the remainder of this article I will be using the ESV translation of Psalm 73, especially regarding verse 28. When considering the cadence of psalm 73, I find it somewhat staggered at times, but this literary attribute might add to the validity of my conclusion.

Using Walter Brueggemann’s categorizations of the psalms, we find that Psalm 73’s nature correlates with a psalm of disorientation. Brueggemann says a psalm of disorientation has aspects of petition, complaint, and even feelings of loss of divine presence. If this is to be the case with psalm 73, the psalmist writing “For me, it is good to be near to God,” is not a celebration, nor a joyous declaration. But rather, it is a statement coming from a distressed past. And while this psalm seems to be on the latter end of this disorientational psalm, the psalmist most certainly is still in the aftershock of the beginning of a disorientational season. I would propose that the psalmist is more so positively declaring various truths of our Lord not solely for the purpose of proclaiming God’s character, but also to remind himself of who the God is that he once needed and is in continual need of.

With all of this context being discussed, let us focus on verse 28. The entirety of psalm 73 shows us that God is a righteous God who will, to a definite degree, put an end to those who oppose God for the sake of His people’s sake. In verse 27 the psalmist concludes this by saying, ““For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.” And then he writes, “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.”

The psalmist is not writing this as a happy conclusion to his positive outlook on those who oppose His God. He is not saying, “Thank God you put an end to those that oppose you! Im so happy to be on the safe, winning side that gets to live in the blessing and provision of my Lord! And that is why I want to be with you forever!” No! I propose that he is not saying that over-dramatized approximation, but that he is saying, “Lord, I do not want to be on the other side of your Holy, righteous wrath. Lord, let me always remember that it is better to be near to you so that I might not perish in vain and might live with you for all of eternity.” My proposition is this, psalms 73’s conclusion is founded on a true, healthy fear of the Lord. Because of this, our prayer, devotion, communion, fellowship with His body, study, and everything else should be founded on the fear of the Lord. Our dedication to God cannot be absent of a true reverence and fear of the Lord. We must live with a healthy fear of how dreadful life would be without the presence of God. We must live with a mind that is in constant need of God’s presence, with an understanding that outside of God’s presence we are subject to verse 27.

Now, you are probably asking, “how does Psalm 35:13 relate?” Well curious reader, here is how it does. In this particular psalm we find the psalmist subjecting himself to fasting. Some translations say that he (the psalmist) afflicted himself with fasting. In the context of this psalm, we find the psalmist asking the Lord to contend with him against his enemies as he lies with in the presence of the Lord, assumably. So, what does this implicate? The psalmist was 100% willing to subject himself to painful, laborious forms of spiritual disciplines in order to remain close to the Lord. He found it as a necessity to undergo pain in order to remain under the wings of the Lord most high.

The land the plane, this is how the bow is tied. (Hopefully you liked those two commonly used pastoral phrases… put together… double whammey). In our healthy, spiritually balanced fear of the Lord, let us be spiritually attentive to take action in any spiritual discipline necessary that allows us to remain in the presence of the Lord. Our call in these two psalms is not to have faith that is purely founded on testimony, family, knowledge, or practice; but rather, to have faith that is also founded on a genuine fear of the Lord. And as we have that dynamic faith, it should only spur us to practice more spiritual discipline in our everyday commitment to the Lord.

As we grow in our fear of the Lord, let us also remember that this Lord is our father. A father that loves us and draws near to us when we need Him. A father that holds His children near to His heart. A father that catches every tear and feels every pain with His children. A father that sent His son to die so that His children might live more fully. A father this commands obendience so that His children will enjoy the creation of His hands to a fuller extent.

Prayer: Lord, my father in heaven, I marvel at your creation and your provision over my life. I thank you for your scriptures and how they reveal something new to me every time I ponder on them. Father, teach me to need you more. If I ever feel as though I don’t need you, quickly remind me how much I do. Lead me into a healthy fear of you. Lead me into an understanding that I need to be under your wings. I love you. Amen.