Today, November 01
God is Good All the Time
A Michtam of David.
Psalm 16:1-11
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight." Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.
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. I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The stories and the fame of King David are endless! He is one of the most famous people in human history who is still held in high esteem. The emblem on the flag of the nation of Israel is called the “The Star of David”. Even though David is known for all his great exploits, he also had his failures and shortcomings. David experienced good times, but also had to endure the bad times. Yet it appears that he always believed and trusted in the goodness of God.
When things are going good in our lives and we are enjoying the blessings of God all around us we tend to proclaim, “God is so good!” But when things are falling apart, and God seems to be absent, we have a hard time saying this statement. Yet the truth is, God is good all the time. He is good in both the good times and the bad times. When you read and study Psalm 16, you see David finding pleasure and delight in God’s goodness even when he is still in exile and hiding from his enemies. He was still an outlaw, cut off from his family, from his inheritance in the land, and from the religious life of the nation, yet despite where he was, he knew his inheritance was in his relationship with the Lord.
We must learn this lesson also and Psalm 16 is a good place to see how we can do this. I trust you will read this Psalm numerous times over the next few days during your devotional time as we study it together.
My friend, if we are going to enjoy the goodness of the Lord, we must first have a good relationship with Him (vv. 1-2). The Lord is our highest good and greatest treasure (Ps. 73:25, 28), the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). To know Him through Jesus Christ is the highest privilege in life. If we have anything that we think is good, and it doesn't come from God, it isn't good. God meets us with "the blessing of good things" (Ps. 21:3), and His goodness follows us until we reach the Father's house (Ps. 23:6). When Jesus Christ is your Savior (refuge) and Lord, you experience God's goodness even in the midst of trials. Our relationship to ourselves, our circumstances, other people, and the future depends on our relationship to the Lord.
Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and there can be no relationship with the Father any other way except through Him (John 14:6). When we have Jesus, we have life. A life that is real! Life without Jesus is empty and vain and really has no meaning or purpose! Jesus prayed this prayer to His Father in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” This was His prayer for His disciples and for all of us today!
This prayer is immediately answered the moment you turn from your sin in repentance and believe that Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood to redeem you and set you free from your sin and guilt. The cross of Jesus Christ is the only “narrow gate” that leads to life, and it is open for anyone and everyone who will enter by it! Please trust Jesus today!
God bless!
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