I was heading back to God’s character today and specifically, my favorite characteristic of God—He is Enough. I had some things that were bombarding my brain so I opened my ‘God is Enough’ document which I’ve worked on before. (I never finish these things—they’re always in progress, which is helpful since I must continually revisit them.) I had already meditated thru the first 2 phrases on some previous date so I started wrapping my mind around the phrase ‘Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel’ and then I started thinking thru the purposefulness of the next phrase ‘and afterward receive me to glory’ and I was overcome by some memories and the reality of the truth of God in His Word absolutely overwhelmed me thru the testimony of my grandpa. He lived out these truths every day of his life and even indirectly quoted these words as he approached his reception to glory. I will never forget that moment in the hospital.

Psalm 73:23-24

Nevertheless I am continually with thee:

            Me. I’m always with God. Continually. Continuously. Constantly. It doesn’t end. I can do naught but be with God.

His omnipresence means not only that He is always with me but also that I am always with Him. It’s a sweet twist.

thou hast holden me by my right hand.

                God holds my hand. Yeah, I should hold His hand but He definitely holds mine which is frankly, more reassuring because He is God and He doesn’t let go.

                Never gonna let go…and Your love for me is still the same, never gonna lose heeeart, ‘cause I’m holding on tight to You.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel,

            Shalt=Promise. God will guide me. And how shall He guide me? With His own counsel. That is, with His Knowledge, Wisdom, Omniscience, Forethought. This also factors in that He always does the best for me and displays His Love, Care, Guidance, Working-All-For-My-Good, and His Faithfulness. His Counsel encompasses so much of Who He Is and His promises: He will always be with me on every path, He will hold my hand, He will never leave me, He will not give me more than I can handle, He will help me handle every situation.

                So ultimately, His Great Wisdom in knowing what is best for me will guide me.

and afterward receive me to glory.

            The guidance has a purpose—He is guiding me somewhere and that finally is Glory. I need not fret the present when I know the future and God reveals that here in His Word. I’m headed to glory and God’s guiding hand will lead me every step of that path, even when it gets hard, even when I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death.

               

I remember when Grandpa was dying of cancer, we were all sitting around his hospital rooom and he was sitting on his hospital bed and he said in that oh-so-grandpa way, ‘Well, here we are—on the road to glory.’ We all teared up because we knew it wouldn’t be long. Grandpa even got emotional which was something I’d rarely seen. Yet he was so confident in the Lord. God guided Grandpa throughout his whole life and Grandpa followed closely, His hand in God’s hand—and then God received Grandpa to glory.