God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
Seated at the dining room table, I gazed at the happy chaos around me. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews were enjoying the food and being together at our family reunion. I was enjoying it all, too. But one thought pierced my heart: You’re the only woman here with no children, with no family to call your own.
Many single women like me have similar experiences. In my culture, an Asian culture where marriage and children are highly valued, not having a family of one’s own can bring a sense of incompleteness. It can feel like you’re lacking something that defines who you are and makes you whole.
That’s why the truth of God being my “portion” is so comforting to me (Psalm 73:26). When the tribes of Israel were given their allotments of land, the priestly tribe of Levi was assigned none. Instead, God promised that He Himself would be their portion and inheritance (Deuteronomy 10:9). They could find complete satisfaction in Him and trust Him to supply their every need.
For some of us, the sense of lack may have nothing to do with family. Perhaps we yearn for a better job or higher academic achievement. Regardless of our circumstances, we can embrace God as our portion. He makes us whole. In Him, we have no lack.
Read: Psalm 73:23-28 (NIV)
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.c
24 You guided me with your counsel,e
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?f
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.g
26 My flesh and my hearth may fail,i
but God is the strengthj of my heart
and my portionk forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;l
you destroy all who are unfaithfulm to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.n
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;o
I will tell of all your deeds.p
INSIGHT
- What’s one thing lacking in your life that you feel would make you whole?
- How can you surrender it to God and find satisfaction in Him as your portion?
Asaph, whose name means “Jehovah has gathered,” was a Levite and one of David’s three chief musicians (1 Chronicles 6:31, 39–43; 15:16–17; 16:4–5; 25:1–2). He wrote twelve psalms that now bear his name (Psalms 50, 73–83). In Psalm 73, known as a wisdom psalm—a psalm that instructs readers how to deal with life’s challenges and pain—Asaph was bitterly overwhelmed by the injustice of the prosperity of the wicked (vv. 1–14, 21). But the moment he understood the presence of God in his life (vv. 23–24), his own glorious destiny (v. 24), and the destiny of the wicked (vv. 17, 27–28), his perspective on this material world and possessions changed. Drawing near to God and certain that “earth has nothing [he] desires,” Asaph embraced the sovereign God as his strength (Hebrew rock), portion, and refuge—his permanent and eternal possession (vv. 25–28).
PRAYER
Father, thank You for making me complete in Christ. Help me to say along with the psalmist, “As for me, it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28). In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 73:23-28 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 9-10; Ephesians 3
