Psalm 16 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 16 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Verse 2I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
Verse 3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
Verse 4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
Verse 5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
Verse 6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
Verse 7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
Verse 8I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Verse 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
Verse 10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
Verse 11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Devotion
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. It's hard for a follower of Jesus to read this passage without seeing our Lord on his knees in the garden, asking God to take the cup from him. The path of discipleship is indeed fearsome—Jesus went all the way to the cross, after all. Yet the psalmist reminds us that fearsomeness is not the only thing poured forth from the cup. The cup also holds guidance and counsel, pleasant places, gladness of heart, a soul capable of rejoicing and pleasures forevermore. In God we find strength, shalom and assurance in paths of discipleship both dim and brightly lit.
Prayer
Comforting God, what a gift it is to lean heavily on the promise of your portion and your desire that we find peace in your embrace. May our skin tingle for your warming touch and our hearts be calmed by the promise of a goodly heritage in your eternal presence. Amen.