Psalm 16:5–6: “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; / You maintain my lot. / The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; / Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

January 22nd, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Psalm 16 reveals the thankfulness of David’s heart as he declared that his lot, or over-riding condition of life, was good and from God. David wasn’t longing for more material goods in his life, but rather a closer, more meaningful relationship with his God. He was saying, “I get You, LORD, as my inheritance.” When David said, “You maintain my lot,” he was thanking God for sustaining him and for holding his destiny in His hand. By referring to lines, David meant the boundaries God had placed in his life. Man often rebels when he feels he is being restricted, but David’s attitude stands as a profound statement about the reality of the boundaries God puts in our lives. He does so both to protect and limit us. And because God loves us, we can trust Him to place our boundaries in exactly the right places. David was a man who was grateful for the life God had allowed him to enjoy, and he expected the future to be good also.

We believe that God’s protection surrounds every believer. Just how effective it has been will not be known until eternity. But sometimes we get to see glimpses of His hand, as Lorrie Anderson did, a missionary to the head-shrinking Candoshi Shapra Indians of Peru. She was looking for a private place for her daily quiet time, so she went down by the edge of the river. After reading the Bible, she took up her prayer list. Because her eyes were closed, she didn’t see the anaconda weaving through the water until it struck, burying its fangs into her flesh. Screaming, she was held in its coils as it struck her arm again and again. As it reared back for another blow, the huge snake, not known to ever release its prey, suddenly relaxed its grip and slithered off through the water. While Lorrie was being treated, a witch doctor from a nearby village burst into the hut and stared at her in disbelief. The witch doctor said her son-in-law, also a witch doctor, had chanted to the spirit of the anaconda that morning and sent it to kill the young missionary. “I’m certain,” Lorrie said, “that except for the protection of God, it would have worked.”

“LORD, thank You for Your protection today and Your gracious hand on our lives.”

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Psalms 16 KJV

¹ Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. 

² O my soul , thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;

³ But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

⁴ Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. 

⁵ The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. 

⁶ The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

⁷ I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 

¹⁰ For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

¹¹ Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.