Whom have I in heaven but you?
Psalms 73:25-26 (NIV)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
Psalms 73:25-26 (NLT)
I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
We have presented this passage in two versions in order to get a better understanding of it. Asaph, the Psalmist, exclaims that the only thing he has in heaven is Yahweh, and the only thing he truly desires on Earth is Yahweh. Ultimately, all we really have anywhere, any time, is God. Everything else we have is dependent on God.
Then the Psalmist reminds himself of God’s commitment to him. Even though his body gives out, and his heart – his inner self – becomes weak and worn out, Yahweh will still be his strength. The Hebrew words are literally “rock of my heart”. When our heart fails we are still okay because God is the rock that supports us. This reminds us of Jesus’ words: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matt. 7:24, NLT).
And, God is our “possession” forever. We have him for all eternity. We will never lose him. By nature we like to possess things; it makes us feel secure and satisfied. But if we have God for eternity then we possess more than anyone can ever possess on Earth. This sets us free from bondage to the drive to possess other things and from bondage to fear of losing the good things we have. We already have an infinitely satisfying and delightful treasure, which is God himself.
