I've Been Thinking

I read Psalms 16 last night and began studying it for our bible studies this morning(Alan and I try to spend time together daily studying the bible and praying together and right now we are in Psalms).

Psalms 16:1
Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

There are many good parts in this whole chapter. In verse 11 "in thy presence is fulness of joy. I have no joy outside of the Lord. Now, I know that things on earth can bring us happiness for a season. But, if time allows it will only be for a season. True joy, peace and happiness comes from having a personal relationship with God. Or in verse 6 "yea, I have a goodly heritage". If you read this verse in context with the whole chapter it is talking about our heritage that we have in Christ,not an earthly heritage. This whole chapter is packed full of goodness. As, we were discussing this, this morning one of the first things Alan said was this was a psalms about ones confidence in the Lord. After we talked about it I could also see that. I think Charles Spurgeon calls this the Golden Pslam.

But on my mind has been those first four words of the chapter in verse 1 "Preserve me, O God". If you notice David is not asking for God to get him out of a jam, or to help him overcome anything. He is asking God to preserve him. The definition in the dictionary for preserve is:

1 : to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction : protect
2 a : to keep alive, intact, or free from decay b : maintain
3 a : to keep or save from decomposition b : to can, pickle, or similarly
prepare for future use
4 : to keep up and reserve for personal or special use

I want to be keep safe from harm, injury, or destruction, and I most definitely want God's protections today and everyday. I want to be alive, and intact, free from decay for the Lord. I want to be saved from decomposition. I want to be used for something special for the Lord.

So, I want to echo what David said "preserve me,O God".

In, With and Through Christ
Joan