Psalm 16-Supplication through the Scriptures

Pleasures Forevermore

Psalm 16

Zodhiates, in the Complete Word Study Dictionary, defines the beautiful inheritance of Psalm 16:6 as describing “the splendor and pleasantness of having the Lord as one’s lot in life.” When the Lord is my portion, my cup, my lot, I will indeed have a life filled with joy, gladness, and good things. That does not mean my life will be filled with only good experiences and circumstances, but it does mean, that no matter what I face in this life, if the Lord is at my right hand I will rest securely and not be shaken. I will be able to say throughout life’s changes and challenges, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.” 

Lord, I praise You this morning, because:
▫️In the midst of my sorrows, You are my portion and my cup.
▫️My whole life long, through various trials and many blessings, You have caused the lines to fall to me in pleasant places and given me a beautiful inheritance.
▫️You are my keeper and the giver of all good things.

I Have No Good Apart From You

16:1-4 “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 
Lord, I pray:
▫️You would guard, keep, and preserve me.
▫️I would delight in Your goodness and know that every good and perfect gift comes from You, the Father of Lights (James 1:17). What good have I received from the Lord for which I can give Him thanks today?
▫️My eyes would see that I have no good apart from You.
▫️You would delight in me and keep me as the apple of Your eye.
▫️I would be on guard against any form of idolatry: praise of men, self, success, or rest.
▫️I would sincerely be able to say, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25).

You are My Portion

16:5-6 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. 
Lord, I pray: 
▫️I would choose You as my portion and all-satisfying lot in life, even in the disappointments and unknowns.
▫️I would rest securely knowing that while I am held by You, no one can snatch me from Your hand, and You will withhold no good thing from them that love You.
▫️Because I delight in You, I would recognize that the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places, and my life is pleasant and delightful, filled with good, not because of circumstances but because You are my portion.
▫️I would contemplate and rejoice in the truth that I have a beautiful inheritance.
▫️All the joys of this world would point me to the greater joy that awaits me, and all the sorrows would increase my longing for that land where sorrows and sighings will be no more. 

Pleasures Forevermore

16:7-11 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Lord, I pray:
▫️I would seek wisdom and counsel from You and believe that You will give it generously and without reproach. What situation do I need the Lord’s wisdom?
▫️At night, when I lie awake, I would meditate on Your Word instead of being filled with anxieties.
▫️I would set You always before me, keeping my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. You would be near me in the dark.
▫️You would be right here with me, and I would not be shaken by the difficulties of life. 
▫️You would help me to rest securely in You and fill my heart with joy and gladness despite the times of trouble. In what situation has it been the most difficult for me to have joy?
▫️I would dwell in Your presence day by day, receiving from Your hand fullness of joy. 
▫️You would fill my heart with longing for that day when I will be with You and have pleasures forevermore.

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"Here is as much said as can be, but words are too weak to utter it. For quality there is in heaven joy and pleasures; for quantity, a fulness, a torrent whereat they drink without let or loathing; for constancy, it is at God's right hand, who is stronger than all, neither can any take us out of his hand; it is a constant happiness without intermission: and for perpetuity it is for evermore. Heaven's joys are without measure, mixture, or end."
C.H.Spurgeon 

Psalm 16 quoted from the ESV.
Photo credit to luckybeanz

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