Song Story: Near The Lord

Have you ever looked around at other people’s lives and wondered if it was worth it to follow Jesus?

I have and so has the writer of Psalm 73.

My nick-name for this passage is the “New York Psalm” though I am sure it applies in every context. It is easy to look around at the seemingly carefree lives of other people as I walk through the West Village or ride the bus through Hudson Yards on my way to work and wonder if there is an easier way to live. But that isn’t what God promises. Wealth and ease are not the promises of God. Asaph says, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped”. When he looked around at what others had and took his eyes off of the Lord, he began to swirl. I love the visual in Matthew 6:28, it says “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” I can feel my mind begin to spin when I start concerning myself with what others have and what I lack.

There is a turning point in verse 17 when Asaph enters the presence of God and lifts his eyes. Asaph’s heart comes back into alignment and he gains an eternal perspective.

Something else particularly fascinating to me is Asaph’s family line. Asaph was a son of Korah. In Number 16, Korah leads a revolt of 250 Israelites against Moses because he wanted to be in Moses’ position. He looked at what Moses had and decided he was not content where God had placed him. In the next chapter, Korah and his 250 followers are swallowed up by the earth as a sign of judgement from God. His father literally fell into his death because the ground beneath him gave-way. Asaph was different and said “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” He lifted his eyes which cemented his standing.

At some point, positions and possessions will be gone. We have a choice to make in the meantime. Is it enough for us to just be near God?

Psalm 84, where the bridge(s) of “Near The Lord” stem from, was also written by the Sons of Korah. This Son of Korah pens the common phrase “I’d rather be a doorkeeper”. He also knows that the best place to be is near God, no matter the rank. We will walk through difficult seasons, but our invitation is to make our heart a place where his Presence resides. We don’t even have to “Enter the Sanctuary” like Asaph did to be in the presence of God, because we carry the Holy Spirit as followers of Jesus. We are able to cultivate an inner heart life of joy, these highways to His presence, despite what we walk through. “No good thing does He withhold” does not mean we get everything we want, it means we get the presence of God and that is the only thing at the end of the day that will satisfy our hearts.

His Presence is what we were made for and everything gets clearer there. The valleys that we walk through do not determine His nearness. The Lord is not witholding. We know this because he has already proven it to us by giving us His only Son. How will he not graciously give us all things?