Psalm Meditation 1073 Baptism of the Lord January 10, 2021 Psalm 16 1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." 3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. 4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows, their drink offereings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my rigfht hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rest secure. 10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (NRSV) How are our lives made different by the choices we have made? We won't get the chance to go back, make a new decision, see which one we like best and live that life from here on. In some cases, we will learn how we made a difference in someone's life by the way we live our own. Most of the time we do what seems right to us and hope that no one gets hurt by any of our choices, and that maybe we helped someone. We can second guess ourselves, however we can't go back to a moment in time to make a different choice. The psalmist is pleased with the way things have turned out so far. "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage." How does the psalmist know that a diffeerent choice wouldn't have led to an even better place, a richer heritage? There is no way to know. We get to make the gbest of what we have by making choices that will take us in the way the seems gest to us at the time. One set of choices my lead to wealth, fame, and power while another set leads to joy and contentment in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We will make our choices according to what is important to us. Some folks make choices that will lead to wealth and power, believing that those will make them happy. Some make choices that will lead to happiness, peace, and contentment. The psalmist leans toward the happiness, rejoicing, and security that comes from a relationship with God. "You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore." January 4, 2021 LCM