Sermons on Psalm 73:25-26

Psalm 73:25-26 Interpretation:

Finding God in Life's Unfairness: Lessons from Psalm 73 (Grove Reformed Church in North Bergen, NJ) interprets Psalm 73:25-26 as the psalmist’s climactic realization that true contentment and stability are found only in God, not in the fleeting prosperity or pleasures of the world. The sermon uses the analogy of “slipping” as a metaphor for spiritual instability caused by envy and misplaced desires, and contrasts this with the “solid ground” found in God’s presence. The preacher also draws attention to the psalmist’s journey from jealousy and doubt to a re-centering on God as the only true desire, emphasizing that the psalmist’s confession is not a denial of earthly desires but a reordering of them in light of God’s sufficiency. The analogy of “three seconds of a race” is used to illustrate our limited perspective versus God’s eternal view, reinforcing the idea that only God is worthy of ultimate desire.

Finding True Satisfaction in Jesus Alone (Crazy Love) offers a unique perspective by focusing on the personal, relational aspect of the psalmist’s longing. The preacher emphasizes that the psalmist is not merely seeking relief from suffering or the blessings of heaven, but is singularly obsessed with God Himself as the ultimate treasure. The sermon draws a sharp distinction between desiring God for His gifts (such as family, health, or even heaven’s comforts) and desiring God for Himself, using the language of obsession and romantic love to describe the believer’s relationship with Christ. The preacher also contrasts the satisfaction of the world (in family, wealth, or legacy) with the believer’s satisfaction in “beholding God’s face,” making the point that the true Christian’s longing is for the person of Jesus above all else.

Longing for Christ: The Essence of True Fulfillment (MLJTrust) provides a deeply theological and existential interpretation, focusing on the “vision of God” as the highest good both in heaven and on earth. The preacher explores the phrase “whom have I in heaven but you?” as a test of the Christian’s true desire, arguing that the essence of Christian experience is not merely the avoidance of suffering or the enjoyment of blessings, but the longing for intimate fellowship with Christ. The sermon uses the metaphor of Christ as the “solid rock” and “portion” to illustrate the believer’s complete satisfaction and security in God, even as all earthly supports fail. The preacher also notes the original Hebrew word for “strength” as “rock,” deepening the image of God as the unshakeable foundation.

Abounding in Hope: Trusting the God of Promises (Alistair Begg) references Psalm 73:25-26 to highlight the psalmist’s ultimate hope and satisfaction in God, especially in the face of discouragement and the apparent success of the wicked. The preacher interprets the passage as a declaration that God Himself is the believer’s “portion forever,” and that this hope is not superficial but is grounded in the certainty of God’s promises. The sermon uniquely connects the psalmist’s confession to the broader biblical theme of hope as “the certainty of a reality not yet fully experienced,” and uses the phrase “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” to illustrate the permanence and sufficiency of God in contrast to all temporal things.

Seeking God: The Heart of the Gospel (Desiring God) offers a unique interpretation of Psalm 73:25-26 by wrestling with the apparent hyperbole of the psalmist’s claim that there is “nothing on earth I desire besides you.” The sermon explores the tension between enjoying created things and the exclusive desire for God, ultimately concluding that all created things exist to point us to God, and that our enjoyment of them should be for God’s sake. The preacher uses the analogy of bread and water, arguing that their very existence is to help us understand Jesus’ statements about being the bread of life and the living water, thus interpreting the psalm as a call to see all earthly joys as shadows of the ultimate joy in God. This is further deepened by referencing Augustine’s insight that we love God too little if we love anything not for His sake, shaping the understanding of the psalm as a radical God-centeredness in all affections.

Delighting in God: The Battle for Our Emotions (Desiring God) interprets Psalm 73:25-26 as the pinnacle of God-glorifying emotion, suggesting that no words more fully glorify God than the psalmist’s declaration of desiring God above all else. The sermon frames the psalm as a model for the Christian’s emotional life, where the battle is to delight in God more than anything else, and where the authenticity of faith is measured by the intensity of this desire. The preacher uses the analogy of a treasure hidden in a field (from Jesus’ parable) to illustrate the radical joy and satisfaction in God that the psalmist expresses, emphasizing that the Christian life is a continual fight to maintain this supreme delight in God amidst competing desires and suffering.

Overcoming Despondency: Finding Hope in God's Promises (Desiring God) interprets Psalm 73:25-26 as a practical strategy for battling deep discouragement and despondency. The sermon highlights the psalmist’s acknowledgment of physical and emotional frailty (“my flesh and my heart may fail”) but insists that the key to overcoming such darkness is to preach to oneself the truth that God is the strength and portion of the heart forever. The preacher draws a distinction between temporary emotional states and the enduring reality of God’s sufficiency, suggesting that the psalm provides a template for self-exhortation and hope in God’s promises, especially when all else fails.

Embracing the Giver: A God-Centered Christmas (Desiring God) interprets Psalm 73:25-26 through the lens of gift-giving, using the analogy of an engagement ring to illustrate the difference between loving the gift and loving the giver. The sermon argues that the psalmist’s words are a call to treasure God Himself above all His gifts, especially during seasons of abundance like Christmas. The preacher deepens the interpretation by asserting that, in the gospel, the gift and the giver are one—Christ is both the gift and the giver—so to love the gift rightly is to love the giver supremely, echoing the psalmist’s exclusive desire for God.

Delighting in God: The Essence of Our Faith (SermonIndex.net) offers a deeply experiential and theological interpretation of Psalm 73:25-26, emphasizing that the psalmist’s declaration—“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you”—is the highest possible glorification of God, because it expresses a heart that treasures God above all else. The sermon uses the analogy of “putting the tongue of your heart to the sweetness of the word of God” to describe delighting in God, and it draws a parallel to Jesus’ parable of the treasure in the field, highlighting that the joy of possessing God is so great that all other things become as nothing. The preacher insists that this delight is not optional but essential for salvation, arguing that to fail to desire God above all is to dishonor Him and ultimately to perish. The sermon also uniquely frames the psalmist’s words as the “echo” of God’s intrinsic worth in the experience of His people, suggesting that God’s purpose in creation is to “go public” with His value by having it mirrored in the joy of His people. The passage is also interpreted as a model for embattled faith, showing that the Christian life is a continual fight to maintain God as one’s supreme desire amid suffering and emotional turmoil.

Finding Clarity and Joy in God's Presence (SermonIndex.net) interprets Psalm 73:25-26 as the psalmist’s ultimate resolution to the problem of the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. The sermon highlights the honesty of Asaph’s struggle and his journey from doubt to clarity, culminating in the realization that desiring God above all else is the mark of a true worshiper and a useful servant of God. The preacher applies the verse in a practical way, suggesting that if one can maintain this singular desire for God, it will lead to a life of worship and usefulness, regardless of circumstances. The phrase “God is the strength of my heart” is also applied literally to those with physical heart problems, suggesting that the verse can be used as a prayer for those in physical as well as spiritual weakness.

Psalm 73:25-26 Theological Themes:

Finding God in Life's Unfairness: Lessons from Psalm 73 (Grove Reformed Church in North Bergen, NJ) introduces the theme of honest lament and spiritual wrestling as integral to faith, showing that God welcomes our doubts and disappointments. The sermon uniquely emphasizes that the psalmist’s confession in verses 25-26 is not a denial of earthly desires but a reorientation—God does not shame the struggler but holds them through their doubts, inviting believers to bring their envy and dissatisfaction into worship and community rather than hiding them.

Finding True Satisfaction in Jesus Alone (Crazy Love) presents the distinct theological theme that the Christian’s ultimate satisfaction is not in God’s gifts but in God Himself. The preacher challenges the idolatry of even good things (like family or the hope of reunion in heaven), insisting that the true mark of faith is a heart that desires Christ above all else. This sermon adds the facet that the Christian’s longing for heaven is not primarily for relief or reunion, but for the presence of Jesus, making the relationship with Christ the defining feature of Christian hope.

Longing for Christ: The Essence of True Fulfillment (MLJTrust) develops the theme of “God as portion” by arguing that the Christian’s joy, contentment, and security are found in the direct knowledge and fellowship with God, not in circumstances or even spiritual experiences. The preacher’s use of the “rock” metaphor for God as the foundation that cannot be moved, even as all else fails, adds a nuanced angle: the believer’s confidence is not in their own faithfulness or activity, but in God’s unchanging nature.

Abounding in Hope: Trusting the God of Promises (Alistair Begg) introduces the theme of hope as a present certainty rooted in God’s promises, not merely a future wish. The preacher connects Psalm 73:25-26 to the New Testament doctrine of hope as “the certainty of a reality not yet fully experienced,” and emphasizes that God’s sufficiency is the answer to both existential and circumstantial despair.

Seeking God: The Heart of the Gospel (Desiring God) introduces the theme that all created things are designed to intensify and diversify our love for God, not to compete with Him. The sermon uniquely applies Augustine’s maxim to the psalm, arguing that the proper enjoyment of creation is only possible when it is subsumed under the greater love for God, thus making the psalm a manifesto for a sanctified enjoyment of the world that always terminates on God.

Delighting in God: The Battle for Our Emotions (Desiring God) presents the distinct theological theme that the commands to delight in God are not optional but essential for salvation and authentic worship. The sermon asserts that the failure to desire God above all else is not merely a spiritual shortcoming but a dishonoring of God that leads to perishing, making the emotional life central to Christian identity and perseverance.

Overcoming Despondency: Finding Hope in God's Promises (Desiring God) adds the nuanced theme that the psalmist’s confession of weakness is not a denial of faith but an integral part of it. The sermon teaches that faith is not the absence of emotional struggle but the act of preaching God’s sufficiency to oneself in the midst of it, making the psalm a resource for spiritual resilience rather than mere triumphalism.

Embracing the Giver: A God-Centered Christmas (Desiring God) develops the theme that the ultimate purpose of all God’s gifts is to bring us to Himself, and that the gospel is the giving of God Himself for our everlasting joy. The sermon’s unique angle is the assertion that, in Christ, the distinction between gift and giver collapses, so that to receive the gift rightly is to receive God Himself as our portion, echoing the psalmist’s language.

Delighting in God: The Essence of Our Faith (SermonIndex.net) introduces the distinctive theological theme that delighting in God is not merely a spiritual luxury but a divine command essential for salvation and the glory of God. The sermon asserts that God’s commands to delight, rejoice, and be glad in Him are not optional, and that the absence of such delight is tantamount to dishonoring God and leads to perishing. It further develops the idea that God’s intrinsic worth is meant to be “echoed” in the experienced joy of His people, and that the purpose of creation and redemption is to make God’s value public through the delight of the redeemed. The sermon also explores the paradox of “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing,” arguing that the Christian life is a battle to maintain joy in God amid ongoing suffering and emotional struggle, and that this embattled joy is itself a testimony to God’s worth.

Finding Clarity and Joy in God's Presence (SermonIndex.net) adds a practical theological angle by emphasizing the importance of keeping doubts private until one has found resolution in God’s presence, to avoid stumbling weaker believers. It also presents the theme that the closer one draws to God, the more answers one finds to life’s perplexities, and that the singular desire for God expressed in Psalm 73:25-26 is the foundation for a life of worship and spiritual effectiveness.

Psalm 73:25-26 Historical and Contextual Insights:

Finding God in Life's Unfairness: Lessons from Psalm 73 (Grove Reformed Church in North Bergen, NJ) provides historical context by explaining that Asaph was a professional songwriter and worship leader in King David’s time, and that the psalms of lament were not private complaints but were sung publicly in Israel’s worship. The preacher highlights the cultural norm that God did not “edit out” the doubts and struggles of His people, but made them central to the worship life of Israel, thus normalizing honest wrestling with God in the community of faith.

Longing for Christ: The Essence of True Fulfillment (MLJTrust) offers a contextual insight by noting that the psalmist’s desire for God alone comes after a period of envying the prosperity of the wicked, which was a common temptation in ancient Israel where material blessing was often seen as a sign of divine favor. The preacher also references the original Hebrew word for “strength” as “rock,” explaining that this would have evoked the image of God as an unshakeable foundation in the minds of ancient listeners.

Seeking God: The Heart of the Gospel (Desiring God) provides historical context by discussing the ancient practice of animal sacrifice at the altar in the Old Testament, explaining that the psalmist’s journey to “God my exceeding joy” is rooted in the experience of atonement and worship at the altar, where sins are dealt with and God is encountered as the ultimate joy. This situates the psalm’s longing within the broader sacrificial system and the centrality of God’s presence in Israelite worship.

Psalm 73:25-26 Cross-References in the Bible:

Finding God in Life's Unfairness: Lessons from Psalm 73 (Grove Reformed Church in North Bergen, NJ) references several biblical passages to expand on Psalm 73:25-26. The preacher alludes to John 3 (“God so loved the world”) to ground the psalmist’s confession in the broader biblical theme of God’s goodness. The analogy of “three seconds of a race” is connected to the “race of eternity,” echoing Paul’s language in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 about running for an imperishable crown. The preacher also references the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” which, while not a direct biblical cross-reference, echoes Hebrews 12:2 (“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”).

Finding True Satisfaction in Jesus Alone (Crazy Love) cross-references Psalm 90:14 (“satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love”) and Psalm 17:13-15, contrasting the satisfaction of the wicked in earthly things with the believer’s satisfaction in beholding God’s face. The preacher also references Ephesians and the general message of the New Testament that true satisfaction is found in Christ alone, and alludes to the resurrection hope in 1 Corinthians 15.

Longing for Christ: The Essence of True Fulfillment (MLJTrust) references John 17:3 (“this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”), Luke 14:26 (the cost of discipleship and loving Christ above all), Philippians 4 (Paul’s contentment in all circumstances), and Deuteronomy 33:27 (“underneath are the everlasting arms”). The preacher also alludes to Isaiah’s “foundation stone” (Isaiah 28:16) and the New Testament’s use of the “rock” metaphor (e.g., Matthew 7:24-25, 1 Corinthians 10:4).

Abounding in Hope: Trusting the God of Promises (Alistair Begg) references Lamentations (“the Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him”), Ephesians 1:13-14 (the sealing of the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance), 1 Peter 1 (our living hope through the resurrection of Jesus), and 1 Thessalonians 5 (the “helmet, the hope of salvation”). The preacher also alludes to Romans 15:13 (the God of hope), Romans 15:4-5 (the encouragement of the Scriptures), and Ephesians 2 (the state of being “without hope and without God in the world”).

Embracing the Giver: A God-Centered Christmas (Desiring God) references several passages to support the interpretation of Psalm 73:25-26: 1 Peter 3:18 (Christ brings us to God), Romans 5:11 (rejoicing in God through reconciliation), Psalm 16:11 (fullness of joy in God’s presence), Luke 17 (the ten lepers, emphasizing the importance of returning to the giver), and Romans 8:32 (all gifts come through Christ’s sacrifice). Each passage is used to reinforce the idea that the ultimate good of the gospel and of all God’s gifts is God Himself, not merely the benefits He provides.

Delighting in God: The Battle for Our Emotions (Desiring God) cross-references Matthew 13:44 (the treasure in the field), Hebrews 10:34 (joyfully accepting the plundering of property for a better possession), and several psalms (e.g., Psalm 42, Psalm 44, Psalm 6) to illustrate the embattled nature of joy in God and the radical satisfaction in Him that the psalmist models. These references serve to show that the theme of desiring God above all is woven throughout both Old and New Testaments and is central to Christian endurance and worship.

Overcoming Despondency: Finding Hope in God's Promises (Desiring God) references Psalm 42 and 43 (preaching hope to oneself), Psalm 139 (God’s presence in darkness), John 12:27 and 14:1 (Jesus’ troubled soul and His exhortation not to be troubled), Matthew 26 (Jesus’ sorrow in Gethsemane), and Hebrews 12:2 (Jesus enduring the cross for the joy set before Him). These passages are used to draw parallels between the psalmist’s struggle and Jesus’ own experience, showing that faith in God’s promises is the means of overcoming despondency and finding God as one’s portion.

Delighting in God: The Essence of Our Faith (SermonIndex.net) draws on several biblical cross-references to deepen the interpretation of Psalm 73:25-26. It references 1 Corinthians 16:22 (“If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed”) and Revelation 3:16 (“Because you are lukewarm... I will spit you out of my mouth”) to reinforce the necessity of loving and delighting in God above all else. The sermon also connects the psalmist’s words to Jesus’ parable of the treasure in the field (Matthew 13:44), using it to illustrate the radical joy and value found in God that makes all other things expendable. Additionally, Hebrews 10:34 is cited to show how early Christians joyfully accepted the loss of their possessions because they had a “better possession and an abiding one,” paralleling the psalmist’s declaration that God is his portion forever. The preacher also references various Psalms (e.g., Psalm 34, 38, 42, 51, 63, 86, 90, 107, 119, 130, 139) to show the emotional realism and embattled nature of faith, and 2 Corinthians 6:8-10 and Romans 8:23 to highlight the ongoing struggle and hope of the Christian life.

Finding Clarity and Joy in God's Presence (SermonIndex.net) references the broader context of Psalm 73, especially verses 2, 3, 13, 15, 16, and 18, to trace Asaph’s journey from doubt to faith. The sermon also alludes to other Psalms (e.g., Psalm 74:9) and biblical narratives (e.g., the 400 years without a prophet between Malachi and John the Baptist) to illustrate the consequences of God’s presence or absence among His people, but these are not directly tied to Psalm 73:25-26.

Psalm 73:25-26 Christian References outside the Bible:

Longing for Christ: The Essence of True Fulfillment (MLJTrust) explicitly references Matthew Henry, quoting his distinction between looking forward to death and looking forward to heaven, and uses the hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” (“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”) to encapsulate the message of Psalm 73:25-26. The preacher also references Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones’ own theological reflections on the nature of Christian hope and satisfaction.

Seeking God: The Heart of the Gospel (Desiring God) explicitly references Augustine, quoting: “He loves thee too little who loves anything together with thee which he loves not for thy sake.” This quote is used to clarify the meaning of Psalm 73:25-26, suggesting that the proper love of created things is only possible when they are loved for God’s sake, and that the psalmist’s exclusive desire for God is not a denial of earthly joys but a reordering of them under the supremacy of God.

Psalm 73:25-26 Illustrations from Secular Sources:

Finding God in Life's Unfairness: Lessons from Psalm 73 (Grove Reformed Church in North Bergen, NJ) uses the analogy of social media “curation” to illustrate how people present selective images of their lives, contrasting this with God’s willingness to include the psalms of lament in Scripture. The preacher also uses the Olympic race as a metaphor, explaining that judging life’s fairness based on a “three-second clip” is as misleading as trying to determine the winner of a race from a brief moment, emphasizing our limited perspective compared to God’s eternal view.

Finding True Satisfaction in Jesus Alone (Crazy Love) references the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” from Christian hymnody, but also uses the analogy of romantic obsession to describe the believer’s relationship with Christ, contrasting it with worldly obsessions such as family, wealth, or legacy. The preacher also alludes to the experience of physical pain and aging (“my knee hurts, my back hurts”) as common human concerns that fade in significance when compared to the joy of knowing Christ.

Embracing the Giver: A God-Centered Christmas (Desiring God) uses the detailed analogy of an engagement ring to illustrate the difference between loving the gift and loving the giver. The preacher describes a scenario where a fiancé gives a diamond ring, only to have the recipient become enamored with the ring itself and ignore the giver, highlighting the relational pain and misplaced affection this causes. This analogy is then applied to the Christian’s relationship with God, especially in the context of Christmas gift-giving, to show that treasuring the gifts above the giver misses the heart of the gospel and the message of Psalm 73:25-26.