Psalm 16

Psalm 16 NIV

A miktam of David. 1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Why do we want security in life?

One of the great challenges of today is that we long for security. I have noticed since i was i high school there was a marked change that happened that shifted our culture in our understanding of security in life. 9/11 forever changed our culture and our view of the world. We became more aware of the dangers we face in our world. Since then it has seemed to only increase. We have sacrificed freedom for security. While i speak of physical things i also and speaking about spiritual things as well. We have pulled back and placed the security of our faith on isolation and individualism than in the community.

We look to our own devices to find security and strength.

This psalm challenges us on where our security lies.

Psalm 16:5–8 NIV

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

When we read that passage i can’t help but notice that there is a powerful message there. That God is our strength and makes us secure. IT is in him that we can find strength and counsel that is good. It is in him that we can be confident.

How does God strengthen you?

For me lately one of the biggest ways that God has been strengthening me is in making right choices for my health. He has given me the strength to make better choices. It is hard at times when there are things that i would prefer to eat but i know i can’t. I am thankful for that.

I loved the 8th verse though. I will keep my eyes always on the Lord. That sense of focus is a source of strength when it comes to our faith. We need to be reminded of that on a regular basis. The fixing of our focus the fixing of our purpose is founded on him. This isn’t just in how we live our life on Sunday but it is found in how we live each day. It is how we focus in and we keep focused on him each and every day. Every moment is given to him.

Psalm 16:9 NIV

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

Have you ever felt secure even when life was getting tough?

This is a hard one to talk about sometimes. When life is getting crazy and hard we don’t always feel the most secure. It is then that we often feel the most insecure. When we fell the most fear and at times despair about the place we are at in our lives. Yet, when we know that we are fixed on him it is in these moments that we can find that we can still have a heart that is glad and a tongue that rejoices. That we still find ourselves feeling secure in who we are.

That is the joy we experience today and know that he is with us and when we focus and build our lives around him that we can be confident in our security as one of his children and that we can step forward in faith.