Safety in Him (Psalm 16)

Keep me safe, O God,

for in you I take refuge.

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; 

apart from you I have no good thing."

As for the saints who are in the land,

they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those will increase

who run after other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood

or take up their names on my lips.

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Have you ever felt inadequate that you don't have enough [fill in the blank]?  Not enough courage?  Not enough money?  Not enough peace?  Not enough...safety?  

David knows need.  A man after God's own heart, he experienced need in ways we wouldn't ever want to know.  "Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge."  What is refuge?  Like a refugee, you have no home, no place to rest...only dependent on someone else to provide your safety.  It is a place to flee for protection.  This refuge also provides trust, confidence, and hope.  This trust is the same trust that an eagle trusts in its wings to carry it to the highest heights and without fail.

"You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."  Do I really believe that, especially when in waiting?  I know at times I get distracted by the 'goodness' I see in others' situations and then, with jealousy, want for myself...and then others who are seeking after other things not of God and, yet, do they really have it together?  But He tells me that those seek after other gods - their own idols that they hope complete them - will only increase their sorrow and any outer pleasures are fading, not lasting.

My God is certainly before me and He knows how much I need...He has assigned my cup and my portion, my lot is secure.  Remember?  I am a refugee in His care.  Shouldn't it not be humbling?  Shouldn't I also take pleasure that He wants us to need Him like this?  Yes, it is scary and frightening, but security is not found in anything on earth.  It is found in Him alone and He promises a delightful inheritance.  But this comes in time, for He promises to counsel me; with counseling requires patience on my part.  I hate patience.  

[Sigh]...in light of this, if I set the Lord before me, rest my heart before Him, He will care for it, instruct me, and be my right hand - signifying strength and power.  I may not have that feeling now, but I know His promises are secure and He will provide.  And I know in this, I will not be shaken.  

I may not have everything I think I need now, but that's okay.  He is providing a way to show His power and might within me.