Rejoice

Psalm 16

English Standard Version (ESV)

A ^(A)Miktam^[a] of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I ^(B)take refuge.
² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    ^(C)I have no good apart from you.”

³ As for ^(D)the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.^[b]

⁴ The sorrows of those who run after^[c] another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or ^(E)take their names on my lips.

⁵ The Lord is ^(F)my chosen portion and my ^(G)cup;
    you hold my ^(H)lot.
^6 (I)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷ I bless the Lord who ^(J)gives me counsel;
    in ^(K)the night also my ^(L)heart instructs me.^[d]
8 (M)I have ^(N)set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my ^(O)right hand, I shall not be ^(P)shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my ^(Q)whole being^[e] rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to ^(R)Sheol,
    ^(S)or let your ^(T)holy one see ^(U)corruption.^[f]

¹¹ You make known to me ^(V)the path of life;
    in your presence there is ^(W)fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are ^(X)pleasures forevermore.

When everything on earth seems to be falling apart, the people who know the Lord realize there is more to life than the here and now.  We have an inheritance in Heaven which makes disappointments in this life bearable.  So often though, I know that I forget to look ahead and I get stuck in the here and now.  It frustrates me when I do this but that is why I must keep reading His word and be reminded of my purpose in life.  I used to wonder what my purpose was in life and then one day I realized that my purpose is to praise God.  My purpose is to live for Him.  Even though I know this full well, somehow I tend to start living for me, thinking I deserve better, I try to please me and when I do this I do not please Him.

When I measure how well I do at living for Him, I fail miserably.  Verse 8 tells us that if we truly put our trust in Him, if we truly live for Him, that we will rejoice, our whole body will!  The whole body includes the tongue.  My tongue can get me into trouble sometimes because I forget to rejoice and I begin to complain with it.  For people who know the Lord, when times are tough, like when people abandon us, we lose someone close to us, we lose our job, or friends betray us all we need to do is to take refuge in Him.  Remember whose we are.  Remember that this is only a small particle of dust in our whole entire being.  Remember that it is because of Christ that we do have an inheritance.  Don’t be like the man that follows other gods, his destruction is coming but rather trust in the One who gives us life.  Trust in the Lord and let your tongue rejoice in Him.  Continually seek Him and His ways and you will have nothing more to do than to rejoice in Him.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila