The Path of Life: Psalm 16
(Miller Standard Version - which combines NKJV, The Message and NLT) 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, and every good thing I have comes from You.”
And these God-chosen lives all around, what splendid friends they make. O Lord, You are my portion and You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land You have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance.
I will bless the Lord who guides me, even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. I will not be shaken for He is right beside me. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices, my body rests in safety.
You will show me the path of life! In Your presence is fullness of joy, And the pleasures of living with You are forevermore! Now You’ve got my feet on the path of life all radiant from the shining of Your face. Ever since You took my hand, I’m on the right way, the path of life!
Off of this passage of Scripture, I am going to pose four questions. I will seek to answer the first two questions, and then I am going to leave it to you to answer the last two questions.
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust… Why should we put our trust in the Lord? I have set the Lord always before me… Why should we set the Lord always before us?
The Path of Life: Psalm 16
There are three very critical aspects to how our lives turn out. 1. Our choices. 2. The circumstances and events of our lives that happen to us. 3. Our response (how we take “responsibility”) to the circumstances and events of our lives.
The two questions which I am seeking to answer are: Why should we put our trust in the Lord? Why should we set the Lord always before us?
1. Psalm 16:2 states, “He is our Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You. Every good thing I have comes from You.” Isaiah 64:6 states, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Why do we put our trust in God? Why do we set the Lord always before us? 2. “O Lord, You are my portion and You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.”
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the L ORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2. I rejoice to set the Lord always before me because He is my exceedingly great reward.
Why should we put our trust in the Lord? Why should we set the Lord always before us? 3. I will bless the Lord who guides me, even at night my heart instructs me.
Isaiah 58:11 The L ORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. The L ORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
In Luke 4, we see that… Jesus Himself was filled with the Spirit. Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit. Jesus Himself lived in the power of the Spirit.
Why should we put our trust in the Lord? Why should we set the Lord always before us? 4. And these God-chosen lives all around, what splendid friends they make.
Why should we put our trust in the Lord? Why should we set the Lord always before us?
You will show me the path of life! In Your presence is fullness of joy, And the pleasures of living with You are forevermore! Now You’ve got my feet on the path of life all radiant from the shining of Your face. Ever since You took my hand, I’m on the right way, the path of life!
Hopefully I have answered my two questions in an adequate manner. Now we come to your two questions: How do YOU put your trust in the Lord on a daily and a moment by moment basis? How do YOU set the Lord always before you?