I set out today to write about the fullness of joy. The end of Psalm 16 says,
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (v11)
I thought it was a neat progression from yesterdays thought. Steps that lead to joy are the steps that lead to his presence…and when we find ourselves in his presence we will find fullness of joy. See? Nice, right?
But, as I read that verse, I wondered how David came to that conclusion. So, I read the verse before it and, well, got sidetracked. Or, maybe, I got maintracked. (I’m making up words.) Look at what he writes,
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure. (v10)
David is pretty happy here—his heart is glad, his whole being is rejoicing. Then he says, my flesh also dwells secure. That statement is not like the other ones. I was expecting him to say my flesh can’t keep still because of all the joy, its undignified and dances wildly. But almost to the contrary, David states that his flesh is also secure. What’s this? Joy is now linked to security? Shut up! That’s amazing.
Now, my curiosity has the best of me. Noticing the word therefore, I go back a few verses more to see how David was secure, why was he rejoicing. What I found was his consecration to the presence and word of the Lord.
- You are my Lord, I have no good apart from you (v2)
- The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup, You hold my lot (v5)
- The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, I have an inheritance (v6)
- I bless the Lord who gives me counsel (v7)
- I set the Lord before me, he is at my right hand; I will not be shaken (v8)
There it is, my friends. When we choose the Lord and acknowledge his presence in our lives, when we become aware that he is always with us, when we take advantage of his presence — which by the way is not a graveyard presence, he is alive and active, speaking an listening — we are secure.
In the unshakeable place of everything God is, we are safe and secure and free to rejoice and be glad. Apart from his presence, we are unstable and unable to experience joy.
Holy Spirit, help become more aware of your presence. We want to know the stability of your counsel. We want to rejoice in the security of your presence.
By the way, those five verses above are pretty powerful prayers to pray over our lives.
Brave Sparrow 