Psalm 16:5-6

(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)

 

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

You have made my lot secure.

6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 (NIV)

 

Lord – Yahweh – God’s proper name

Assigned – set aside for one particular person or purpose

Portion – ration, serving, measurement

Cup – container used to hold something together

Lot – portion, position, path of life

Secure – keep, hold tight, make sure

Boundary – measuring line

Fallen – landed, ended up

Pleasant – agreeable, sweet, good

Inheritance – something received as a gifting, usually from one in line above you

 

In these verses David addresses God as Yahweh, which is God’s proper name.

He is not referring to any of God’s attributes or characteristics, he is talking directly to God.

David is acknowledging the Lord has chosen what his portion and lot in life will be.

He is also saying he realizes God has set the boundaries of his life and that they have fallen in a good way.

He is sure he will have a good life and future because of this.

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Category: God, Old Testament, Scripture Study, Teaching, Trust | LEAVE A COMMENT

What Are You Seeking First?

When I was first learning to walk with the Lord, I struggled to maintain a good connection with Him.

Life and the things in it kept getting in the way.

Kids, work, laundry, even church commitments consumed me.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying.

I was.

It’s that there was just so much going on that I felt like I was drowning.

Then I saw this verse:

33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NIV

It really got my attention, but it took a while for me to understand it.

 

I finally realized that I was seeking the kingdom, and the Father, second.

Yes I was praying and studying – a lot.

But I was cramming it into whatever spare time I had.

Reading a bit here and there.

 

Most of my prayers were, “:please help me to get to work on time,”, as I ran out the door, breakfast in one hand, a to-do list in the other.

I would pray and go over my church’s prayer list while washing dishes.

Even my quiet times were overshadowed by my long list of to-dos and the struggles of the day.

Then one day the Lord showed me it was because I was doing it backwards.

 

Instead of reaching out through all the pressures and demands of life to try to reach Him, I needed to set all of that down, step aside from them, and just get alone with God.

No agenda.

No prayer list.

Just one-on-one time with Him, sitting in His presence and soaking up His love.

Just the two of us, to get me back on the path.

 

Standing with Him as I looked at my life and began to focus on it from His perspective, I realized that I had things a bit askew.

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Category: Faith, Family, God, Life | LEAVE A COMMENT