Psalm 16:1-6
It
matters who you spend time with in your life. The company we keep makes a huge
difference in the direction that our lives take. Godly counsel can make the
difference between destiny and disaster. We must choose wisely.
I
am sure you have had a friend or two who just weren’t good for you. I hope you
have left them by now. We all begin friendships with people only to discover
later that their advertising and promotional materials were misleading. We
think they might be a good friend potentially, but then as we spend time with
them we discover a very different person under the surface, one that we don’t
like.
Our
psalm begins with a simple prayer for safety. It is direct and to the point.
Sometimes our prayers can be this simple and direct. The quantity of words does
not determine the quality of the prayer. “Keep me safe.”
Safety
is one of our most basic needs. When we are in danger, all of life gets out of
whack. So the writer starts with the bottom line. He feels safe in the LORD’s
presence. He has purposed in his heart to seek the safety of Almighty God. He
is doing what all of us need to do, draw in close to Him. We need to do this at
all times, not just during times of trouble. We draw in close during the good
times in thanksgiving. We make that path a well-worn path, a familiar path. We
get used to turning to Him. Than when the troubles come, our nature is to turn
in faith to Him.
Think
of it this way. If you have never been to the emergency exit in a large
building, now would be a good time to get to know where they are. During a fire
is not the time to be searching for the exit doors. You need to know where they
are, noting them in your brain. Your feet need to have walked to them with the
express purpose of being safe.
The
same applies to your home escape plans. Your children need to climb down the
ladders hung from their windows, or out onto the porch roof and jump into your
arms. It is not enough to talk about it; it must be practiced. They need to
practice crawling along the floor.
The
writer sees two types of people in his land, those who align with him in his reliance
on the LORD, and those who seek false gods. He doesn’t mention any middle
ground. One thing that will probably stick in the throat of most Western
believers is the phrase in verse two that states that without the LORD, we
can’t have anything good. Or to state it another way, everything that is good
has its origin in the LORD. We tend to want to take credit for some of the good
that comes our way. We want to box off the LORD into certain areas of our life.
Our writer doesn’t do that.
I
like the fact that this writer delights in those who are following the LORD. He
rejoices with those who live as they should. And he makes a clear line between these
noble ones, these holy people, and those who run after other empty sources of
security. He acknowledges that the place where he dwells, the safety he enjoys
is because of the LORD. This is both a physical boundary of land, but also a
spiritual boundary. He has received the blessing of the LORD.
Where
are your boundary lines? Do they include some spiritual slums? Perhaps it is
time to redraw your boundaries and recommit to seeking the good things of the
LORD.