Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You this morning with open hearts to hear Your voice. We ask You to set our minds on You alone. You are our Sovereign Lord. You are the Truth. You are the Promise Keeper, our Example and our Eternal Treasure. You are our WAY. Draw us ever closer to You. In Your name we pray. Amen.
The final verse of Psalm chapter 16 has become a life verse for me – a verse to live by – a verse to grow by:
You make known to me the path of life;
Psalm 16 is a Messianic psalm, written by David, pointing to Christ’s resurrection, holding a promise with an eternal perspective for each of us. Peter references this Psalm in Acts 2:25-31 acknowledging the power of Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven at the right hand of our Heavenly Father. David begins Psalm 16 with an example of his trust in the Lord and ends with the Lord’s faithfulness to us. Today’s study applies this verse to our own lives building on Christ’s example.
“You make known to me the path of life” The Hebrew word used here for “life” is “Chayim” which is written in the plural and establishes that life is found in relationship. Paul provides that the Lord chose us in Him “before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4). We are created for relationship; we are created for relationship with Jesus our Lord and Savior. It is our life’s mission to faithfully walk the path He sets before us. Not on an independent solo trek, rather in a committed direction to deepen our relationship with Him.
We began our study of THE WAY with John 14:6, Jesus is THE WAY. He is the path of life that the Lord makes known here. THE WAY is Jesus. Jesus is LIFE. The path of life is being united with Jesus - a promise of relationship - a promise of life with eternal purpose – a promise to embrace.
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
The second clause of this verse “in your presence there is fullness of joy” offers a second promise: fullness of JOY in His presence. As we spend time in communion with Jesus, in His presence, our lives are transformed. Deep, lasting JOY is found in His presence. Jesus directs us to abide in Him that our JOY maybe full. (John 15:9). The JOY that the Lord gives is our defining strength and gives us the power to face life’s challenges. (Nehemiah 8:10).
How can we, in turn, be a JOY to our Heavenly Father? How can we focus our time, our priorities, goals and aspirations to bring JOY in heaven? Luke 15:7 and 10 provide the answer: the greatest JOY in heaven is when a person repents and turns his or her heart to Jesus. We bring JOY in heaven when we live with eternal purpose sharing the gospel message of eternal life with those the LORD places in our lives.
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This final clause is a promise of our Heavenly Father’s steadfast love and faithfulness to us to provide eternal life in His presence, where there is fullness of JOY at His right hand.
We can proceed in confidence. We are secure in our Heavenly Father’s love for us in Christ Jesus. We are assured we will be with Jesus - welcoming us to heaven where He sits at the Father’s right hand.
With the TRUTH of this promise – let us live ON MISSION sharing the good news of THE WAY with others to bring great JOY to Jesus and all of heaven.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You, humbled by Your steadfast love and Your desire for a relationship with us, Your children. Please continue to work in our hearts and minds to love You more and to know You deeper. Thank You, Jesus, You are THE WAY of life everlasting and guide our steps on the path You have set before us. Thank You, Lord, for Your presence and desire to walk life’s path with us. Thank You for Your promises. Fill our lives with Your joy - the joy that comes from being with You. We pray Jesus for boldness to share Your gift of eternal life with those we meet on THE WAY. We pray this in Jesus’ name, the Name above all other names. Amen.
Sharon C. Fletcher
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