WHAT A BEAUTUFUL PROMISE

 MAY 5, 2022

Psalm 16:11

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.





Psalm 16:5-6 says, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” And later in verse 11 David writes, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

What a beautiful promise!! God has chosen the inheritance of his presence for us. In the Old Testament we witness that God’s people knew what it was to center their life around the presence of God. Think for a moment of how God’s presence guided them through the wilderness. His presence won battles for them. His presence was powerful in the times of worship. Bottom line is that God’s presence was the sign that he was with them and for them.

Psalm 16:11 tells us that in the presence of God “there is fullness of joy.” Imagine what the fullness of joy looks and feels like. What would it be like to have a real encounter with the fullness of joy today?  In the fullness of joy there is abundant life, peace, freedom, and love.

Psalm 43:4 says, “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” Consistently encountering the presence of God is the source of “exceeding joy”. Only in the experience of his presence will the joy of the Lord truly become our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

I want to point out for us, that Psalm 16 is classified as a Psalm of Lament. Laments are an expression of grief over some experienced reality. In Psalm 16, it is unclear exactly what the grief  is that results in the Psalm. Perhaps, it was during David’s wilderness time, or when his kingship was threatened. The source of the lament may not be as crucial to know, as the teaching is. David’s Psalm 16, really does teach us that the JOY of the LORD does not rest on external circumstances, but the experience rests on the God in whose presence “we live, and move and have our being.” This psalm is a celebration of the joy of fellowship that David realized comes from faith in God.

TAKE AWAY

1. Meditate on the fullness of joy available in the presence of God. Allow Scripture to stir up a desire to encounter the joy of the Lord today.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” Psalm 43:4

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5-6

2. Ask the Lord to reveal his nearness. God is never far from you. His presence is with you. God longs to make himself known. Simply rest in the truth of his nearness and allow him to reveal himself to you.

“Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Psalm 84:3



PRAYER

Lord, you are our Shepherd; you give us all we need, you make us to rest in green pastures, you lead us beside still waters, you restore our soul, you guide us in paths of righteousness. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will be with us to comfort us: let your merciful goodness and your unfailing love follow us all the days of our life, until we live in your presence for ever. Amen.