Find true peace by fully trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 16 (NIV)
A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make 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 keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will 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 realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel
God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel.
But those who
do accept it
and embrace Jesus the Savior
with a true and living faith
are delivered through him
from God’s wrath and from destruction,
and receive the gift of eternal life.
Summary & Dig Deeper
It's so easy to say we trust in the LORD. We even stamp the saying on our money. Psalm 16 beautifully unpacks what it really means to trust in the LORD, so that it becomes the guiding principle for your life, rather than just an empty saying. Theologian Mark Futato suggests these five headings to help you understand what it means to truly trust in the LORD, taken from the five stanzas of this week's psalm.
To Trust Is to Rely on the LORD(v1-2)
Most people want what David begins with in Psalm 16 - they want God to provide them safety and refuge in the midst of trouble. But David's reliance on the LORD is far deeper. David realizes that apart from God he has no good thing. In other words, David knows that even in the good times, he is fully reliant upon the LORD.
To Trust Is to Be Devoted to the LORD (v3-4)
David looks to those around him who have demonstrated devotion throughout their lives - the holy people, or saints. It's these people who are society's true nobles. The less devoted - those who want safety and refuge from God when things are bad but who run after other gods the rest of the time - will suffer more and more.
To Trust Is to Delight in the LORD (v5-6)
John Calvin writes of these verses, "This passage reminds us that true godliness is learned only by those who find their ultimate happiness in God alone. When David calls God his portion, inheritance, and cup, he declares his complete contentment in God, needing nothing else and rejecting any sinful desires. Let us likewise learn to embrace God fully when He offers Himself to us, seeking in Him alone everything we need for true and complete joy" (paraphrased for modern english).
To Trust Is to Learn from the LORD (v7-8)
David understands the LORD to be his counselor (other translations use the word guide or advisor). That's not too surprising, in and of itself. What's really surprising is what David writes next, that his heart instructs him. Isn't Bible lesson number one is DO NOT TRUST YOUR HEART, which is deceitful beyond all measure (Jer. 17:9)? But David says you can trust the reflections of your heart when it's been continually grounded in the LORD's instruction.
To Trust Is Rejoicing in the LORD (v9-11)
David's heart is glad and his tongue rejoices because he knows that God's grace is stronger than he is. David can rest secure because of his assurance that he will not be abandoned to the realm of the dead.
This is why you need to learn the biblical doctrines of grace summarized in the Canons of Dordt, so that you too can fully trust in the LORD as David did.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who makes known the paths of life and fills me with joy in His presence;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that like David, you will fully trust in the LORD in the days to come;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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