Verse of the Day for June 12

Psalm seventy three is a hard conversation written down. For most of it, Asaph admits something embarrassing. He envied the wicked. Their lives looked easier than his, and he nearly slipped.

By verse twenty five he has come through it, and the turn is beautiful. Whom have I in heaven but thee? It is a question asked after a long, honest argument, not instead of one.

Then comes the line that holds the day together. My flesh and my heart faileth. Both of them. His body and his inner strength are giving way, and he says so. Only then does he add but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Courage in a difficult conversation starts with that kind of honesty. Asaph did not tidy his feelings before bringing them. He said the envious, bitter, tired thing, and God met him in it. The strength came after the confession, not before.

If you have a hard talk ahead today, with a spouse, a pastor, a parent, or with God himself, you may feel your heart failing before you open your mouth. Say the true thing gently. Let God be the strength of your heart, because yours may not be enough, and that is allowed.

Asaph's honest complaint made it into Scripture, which means God can handle yours.

Before a hard conversation you do not need a strong heart, only a God who is its strength.