"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."
(PSALM 16:6)

Psalm 16
This Psalm made more sense to me when I had children. Before kids it’s easy to see God’s commands and boundaries as gates keeping us out from all the fun. The boundaries don’t feel very pleasant. Is God cramping our style? But through the eyes of a parent, I see that God’s borders are indeed gifts to us.


As my children began to crawl and walk, gates became literal life-savers. Our first home had steep stairs with a hard basement floor at the bottom. My son used to stand at the gate, peering through the holes, wishing for more freedom. But two-year olds don’t use freedom well. Thankfully, I was there to place some limits around him, for his own safety. These were not to keep him from fun, but to keep him from danger.


Psalm 16 is David coming to this conclusion. He realizes God is our refuge. His boundary lines are the very gifts He gives His children to keep them safe. If we truly knew the steep stairs of life on the other side, we would more readily see our freedom within His boundaries as more pleasant.



Scripture Focus

Psalm 16

Insight

GOD'S BOUNDARIES ARE ALWAYS PLEASANT. HE KNOWS THE DANGERS BEYOND THEM.

Bible In A Year

  • Jeremiah 7-8
  • Psalm 107
  • Romans 5-6

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