The Bounty of God – Psalm 16

A text – Psalm 16

¹ Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

³ As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.            ⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.

⁵ The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

⁷ I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
¹⁰ For you do not give me up to Sheol or let your faithful one see the Pit.

¹¹ You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A reflection:

This psalm of David reminds us of the never-ending, ever-flowing source of all good things: God. God keeps God’s promises, and abundantly so. In a world where our sources of news are designed to exploit our fears, and our search for good news winds up paralyzing many of us in apprehension and anxiety, we are taught in this psalm that we have a source of unabated generous abundant life and blessings. These blessings are all around us. We don’t have to fall prey to those anxieties shown over and over to us on the news. We can turn to our delightful friends and others who love us. We can keep in touch with the good gifts in our lives, especially right now.

To do this in times of worry, we must do what David says he does in verse 8: “I keep the Lord always before me.” The result: I shall not be moved, my heart is glad, my soul rejoices, my body rests secure. Remember to keep God always before you. Do it by printing a Bible verse you love and keeping it out where you see it many times a day. Do it by talking with faith-filled friends. Do it by praying a couple of times a day when you let everything else go and just rest in the presence of God. Do it by reading this psalm in the morning and at night. Remember that our God always extends God’s peace to us.

Remaining mindful of our generous God will help us through challenges of many kinds, and our own peacefulness will be exactly what our families and friends need to lower their own anxiety. You will be multiplying God’s bounty just by experiencing it yourself. Peace to your house.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the psalms of David. Thank you for reminding us that you are the source of power and peace. You are the direction we turn when things seem crazy. You are the reason we need not be afraid. Thank you, God. Amen.