Boundaries....
Psalm 16:1-11 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
[2] I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
[3] As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
[4] 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.
[5] Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
[6] The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
[7] I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
[8] I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be shaken.
[9] Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
[10] because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
[11] 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.
I think often about those times that I have ‘run after other gods’. I think about how appealing they seemed at the time, about how much personal enjoyment I was getting from serving them. I remember how at the time I used to ignore the self-destructive habits that were building and the consequences that were building up just below the surface waiting to be faced. And I remember the pain and humiliation, the sorrow and brokenness, the anguish that came when events came to a head and those consequences, the fruit of my destructive behaviour had to be faced. I remember then wishing that I had taken refuge in the Lord, and lived peacefully within the boundaries that he had set.
When David wrote this psalm he would have had in mind the physical nation of Israel, and their dwelling in the land that God had given them. But I’m sure that he was also thinking spiritually, of how our actions, thoughts and words can affect our lives and our relationship with God. His song speaks of a life which has found protection within the boundaries God has placed on it, of a life which is not self-destructive because the consequences of brokenness can be terrible to deal with.
Our Heavenly Father can restore our brokenness, he can transport us back to living within his boundaries, he can heal and forgive. But the further we have strayed from his path, the more painful is the journey back – quite simply there are more hurts, betrayals and mistakes for us to put right with out brothers and sisters.
for in you I take refuge.
[2] I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
[3] As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
[4] 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.
[5] Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
[6] The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
[7] I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
[8] I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I shall not be shaken.
[9] Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
[10] because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
[11] 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.
I think often about those times that I have ‘run after other gods’. I think about how appealing they seemed at the time, about how much personal enjoyment I was getting from serving them. I remember how at the time I used to ignore the self-destructive habits that were building and the consequences that were building up just below the surface waiting to be faced. And I remember the pain and humiliation, the sorrow and brokenness, the anguish that came when events came to a head and those consequences, the fruit of my destructive behaviour had to be faced. I remember then wishing that I had taken refuge in the Lord, and lived peacefully within the boundaries that he had set.
When David wrote this psalm he would have had in mind the physical nation of Israel, and their dwelling in the land that God had given them. But I’m sure that he was also thinking spiritually, of how our actions, thoughts and words can affect our lives and our relationship with God. His song speaks of a life which has found protection within the boundaries God has placed on it, of a life which is not self-destructive because the consequences of brokenness can be terrible to deal with.
Our Heavenly Father can restore our brokenness, he can transport us back to living within his boundaries, he can heal and forgive. But the further we have strayed from his path, the more painful is the journey back – quite simply there are more hurts, betrayals and mistakes for us to put right with out brothers and sisters.
posted by Gordon at
9:21 am
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