I have been in the Psalms for a number of days. The Psalms contain a great deal of truth about Who God Is, and who we are in Him. They teach us to praise. They remind us about thanksgiving. If we allow them, they will burrow deep into our thoughts where they will spring up when we most need them. One way to read the Psalms is to simply read one each day. Another way is to read five each day of a month, saving Psalm 119 for months that have 31 days. I have done both.
I have favorite Psalms. One of them is Psalm 16. It is titled “Confidence in the LORD,” and I love that beginning verse. “Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. I said to YAHWEH, ‘You are my LORD; I have nothing good besides You.” [HCSB]
I have some “good” things in this life, people who love me and whom I love, a nice home, a good doctor, a few mementoes, clean water, food for the day. But when I survey those things, I know that in a moment they could all be taken from me. And then what would I have?
I would have my LORD. David in Psalm 16 tells us what that means.
Vs 5: “LORD, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.”
Vs 6: “…I have a beautiful inheritance.”
Vs 7: I have “the LORD who counsels me.”
Vs 8: I have the LORD “at my right hand.”
Vs 11: “in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.”
Those are the “good” things that can never be taken from us. He is our All in All.
Thank you, LORD. Today we focus our praise on all the good we have in You. We thank you for being our portion, our cup of blessing, for holding our future and giving us a beautiful inheritance. We thank you for Your counsel, for remaining close to us, for your abundance joy and eternal pleasures. Amen
