He was at home in all parts of the territory. Some just took a bit more effort to survive in.”
–Charles G. West (A Man Called Sunday)
“Unless the Lord limited those days, no one would survive. But He limited those days because of the elect, whom He chose.”
–Mark 13:20 (HCSB)
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Good morning! A brand new week is upon us and time for another Monday morning devotion from the Psalms. Psalm 16 is a great psalm for meditation. One to sit back in your chair read over and over and contemplate on the blessings of God. How have you made it this far in life? God has blessed you; blessed you with protection, blessed you with security, blessed you with His inheritance, blessed you with satisfaction in Him, and on I could go.
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.
2 I said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones. All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips.
5 Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Who else can we come to for protection? In God, and in Him only are we protected, in this life and for eternity. We do have to go to Him. We hear the saying today, “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” We can depend upon Him to give us what we need, and often above what we need. Of course Paul learned the secret. In Philippians he said that the Lord supplied all his need (4:19). It is important to understand that this is singular. Some versions make it plural and that is not the case. Our only real need is the Lord.
Right in the middle of these six verses David throws in a somber note. Sorrows will multiply for those who take “another god”. Therefore, I might ask, what are you drinking from? Ahhh, in the mornings you might drink a cup of coffee. Another time during the day you might drink of something else. Maybe if you have rough times, you might want to check your cup. In verse 5, “my cup” signifies that God is the satisfying drink that refreshes and invigorates the soul. Take the time to read John 4:10-14 and 1 Corinthians 10:20-22.
I like verse 5, “You hold my future.” We can prepare for the future, in fact, we should plan, but all the planning in the world does not do any good unless we are in the will of God–unless He says you have a future. Our steps are to be guided by Him. Whatever happens to you tomorrow, next week, identify first, the cup. Then remember, whatever you are assigned to come your way is in order to develop your character and glorify God.
“I am heir of the king, Hallelujah;
He safeguards my treasures each day.
He gives me the joy of his presence
And leads me along the right way.”
–Old Scottish Psalter
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This Day in the Texas Revolution: J.C. Neill, leaves his Alamo command and appoints William Travis to replace him.