Finding Joy and Hope in God's Presence

David was often in trouble he wrote many Psalms from the perspective of someone who would be in trouble later on in verse eight he's gonna ask that he would not be moved in verse 10 he has confidence in some kind of resurrection he's in trouble maybe even mortal danger yet it's interesting the tone of Psalm 16 is not one of despair it's not one of complaint really this is a psalm filled with a tone of settled joy in the Lord despite David's trouble he had what we might call a praising confidence in God. [00:03:06]

Preserve me from the world let me not be carried away with its excitements suffer me not to be before its blandishments nor to fear its frowns preserve me from the devil let him not tempt me above what I am able to bear preserve me from myself keep me from growing envious selfish high-minded proud slothful preserve me from those evils into which I see others run and preserve me from those evils in which I myself am most apt to run keep me from evils known and from evils unknown. [00:03:41]

David proclaimed regarding the people of God on this earth that they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight David delighted in the people of God despite all their failings David knew the failings of the people of God despite their sometimes scandals despite their embarrassments David still delighted in the people of God now let me be very straightforward with you this is an obvious failing for many followers of Jesus Christ today they are so negative about the people of God that they find themselves unable to see any excellence in God's people they are unable to delight in them. [00:08:02]

David understood that the people who serve other gods those who were not God's Saints mentioned in verse three but those who hasten after other gods David understood that they would find many sorrows in this life now look David understood he understood it from his own life and his own life lived after the Lord that it wasn't an easy one David experienced many hardships because he remained faithful to God nevertheless David also knew that the life lived after other gods was even more difficult. [00:11:21]

David took comfort even joy in the fact that God was the portion of his inheritance and David knew I love the phrase in verse 6 that he had a good inheritance matter of fact verse 6 says that the lie that marked out his inheritance had fallen to him in pleasant places I just love that idea that David said the Lord is my inheritance and it's a good inheritance God said to the priests in the days of Moses I am your portion and your inheritance that's what God said to the priests in numbers chapter 18 verse 20. [00:15:34]

David was content with what God gave him I think this is a word for our present age you see one of the marks of our present age especially if you want to call it in the modern Western world the baby boom generation and maybe even more so with those following there's a real sign of discontentment we find it so easy to be bored to be Restless we're a generation and subsequent generations with very short attention spans and we need a constant stream of excitement and adrenaline rushes we need 24-hour a day entertainment. [00:18:07]

I love how David phrases this he says I will bless the Lord where in verse 7 who has given me counsel you see the false gods of the nation's they could never give counsel and guidance the way that the Lord gave it to David do you know why because those false gods weren't real if there was any entity behind those false gods it was the entity of the demonic not of the divine but yet God gave David counsel and therefore he praised God. [00:19:18]

David said that this happened to him in the night seasons it can just picture David up awake at night maybe this is while he's in the king maybe he's a palace maybe he's got a lot of things going on around him maybe the affairs of state and the problems with other nations it's all weighing upon him and there he is meditating in his heart upon the word of God in the night seasons and God is coming close to him and giving him the guidance that he needs. [00:21:10]

David decided to put his heart and his trust and his hope in the Lord did you remember that from verse 8 I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand therefore I will not be moved okay now therefore in verse 9 looks back to verse 8 because David made the godly decision to set the Lord always before him this brought gladness to his heart it brought a glory in rejoicing in David's life therefore my heart is glad because I made this decision to put the Lord always before me. [00:23:18]

David had the settled hope that is a confidence not just a simple wish David had the settled hope that God would not leave his soul in the grave now the word for grave there in Hebrew is Sheol it was just referred to the place in the ground the grave you would be buried in or entombed in David understood that his life would continue on in the presence of God now this statement in Psalm 16 verse 10 is a wonderful declaration of trust in some sort of resurrection and afterlife. [00:27:33]

David had a full confidence that his life with God both now and forevermore would be marked by the highest and the best pleasures at your right hand are pleasures forevermore brothers and sisters God has great pleasures for us in following after him this is a life lived above the level of shallow entertainments and excitements of this world these pleasures are given to us at a place in heaven heaven is right there at the right hand of God it's a place of honor it's a place of security it's a place of God's wonderful reward. [00:36:12]

The life of gladness and rejoicing and fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore this life is not a problem-free life if you think that being a follower of God means a problem-free life get out now you don't understand it it's a life that may be challenged and it's a life that will face attack on many levels yet in that life commitment to God when it has been made and enjoyed it is a secure happy blessed life I hope that you enjoy the life that is blessed by a true trust in God a true commitment unto Him for all of your life. [00:40:10]