In His Presence

Title: In His Presence

Text: Psalm 73:1-17

I find our text very peculiar. David starts out this Psalm by getting his eyes on all the wicked in the world. Let’s pick out the highlights of this text:

Verse 2, David starts out this Psalm feeling sorry for himself. “I know God is good, but as for me, I have it really bad.” Poor David! Let us see what David had his focus on:

Verse 3, I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Verse 4, these wicked men are strong.

Verse 5, they are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men, in other words, these men have it made.

Verse 7, their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than a man could ever wish for. Oh, how I long to have it as easy as all these other men.

Verse 12, these ungodly men are always at ease, they always increase in riches.

Verse14, they always increase in riches, but I am plagued and tormented all day long. The Lord corrects me every morning.

Verse 16, when I tried to think about those evil ones that prosper, it is just to painful for me. David was saying, I try to do things right, but I just can’t get ahead in life.

David cannot seem to get his mind wrapped around all of this injustice. But I want you to notice our text this morning. In verse 17 there is a big shift of focus. How does this shift come to be? David begins to realize that even though it seems as though all these wicked men are prospering, it is not as it seems.

Psalm 73:17, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.”

Sanctuary actually means “Presence.” David says after I entered into the presence of God, I finally understood their end. Listen to the difference in David’s perspective from before he entered into the sanctuary and after he comes out.

Psalm 73:18-28, “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. 20 As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. 21 ¶ Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. 24 You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 26 My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.”

Before David enters into the Presence of God, he says, “When I think about the evil ones that prosper, it is just too painful for me.” After he comes out of the Presence of God he says, “I am continually with you. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me, You are my strength, I have put my trust in You. There is no one else that I desire more than You.” It looks as though David needs to be on medication, not the King of Israel. It looks as though he suffers from some split personality disorder.

But we all know that he doesn’t need medication, he just needed a good dose of the presence of Jehovah. For the past several weeks we have been steering back towards the vision for the church. We need the presence of God evident in our lives. As we can tell from this Scripture, when you enter into His presence it changes your perspective, when you enter into your presence it totally changes your focus. There are a couple of things that the presence of God does for us.

BRINGS FULLNESS OF JOY

Did you know that your spirit is longing for more than just a religious experience? You may try to get by with just going to church and doing the normal “Christian” thing, but your heart will never be satisfied until you get in the presence of God and meet with Him. It is in His presence where we find fullness of joy and are changed from the inside out.

Entering into His presence requires us to push past our flesh, our feelings, and our mind. When you are in His presence, all other things seem to fade away as you are consumed with Jesus Christ. When you are in His presence, nothing else matters. When you are in His presence, your problems seem to become less important to you and He becomes more important.