Why I love Psalms 16

My mom told me Psalms is her favorite book in the Bible, but I always felt that Psalms had too many chapters surrounding the same topics when I was young.

At that time, I thought Psalms was all about King David praying and venting to the Lord when he was struggling; while praising the Lord when he felt the Lord.

However, as I grew older, I recently fell in love with Psalms and discovered that David is our role model regarding how to connect with the Lord.

Previously I wrote an article about the Two Reasons for Feeling Less Connected with the Lord; feel free to check it out. If we follow how David connected with the Lord, the mentioned reasons mostly will not apply to us.

In this article, I will share my favorite two segments of scriptures in Psalms 16.

One.

"O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord: I have no good but you." (Psalms 16:2)

The above verse is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Most of the time, I read His Word in Mandarin, and if I translate the verse directly, it says that all the good things in my life do not happen beyond the Lord.

It is a strong statement and makes me feel grateful because I know everything good comes from Him. Health, family, friendships, and career are all blessed by Him.

In one church gathering, the believers discuss if a ten-percent offering is necessary since it was only mentioned in the Old Testament. One brother said, the Lord gives us a hundred percent, and we only give back ten percent; we still get to keep the ninety percent.

This is a critical mindset shift for me because now I am grateful to the Lord that I could keep the ninety percent.

I am not saying that anyone should give how many percent as an offering; I want to emphasize that we always receive more than we give to the Lord but do not realize it.

Two.

"I have put the Lord before me at all times; because he is at my right hand, I will not be moved. Because of this my heart is glad, and my glory is full of joy: while my flesh takes its rest in hope." (Psalms 16:8-9)

I read a little about what the "right hand" means. In fact, ancient soldiers used their right hands to hold the spears; and their left hands to hold up the shields.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

The right side is the most vulnerable position since it does not have the protection of the shield. In this case, King David has to fully trust the Lord to let Him stand on his right side to fight with him.

In verse 9, I was touched when King David mentioned that he had peace in his spirit, soul, and flesh when he stood beside the Lord.

When I think about everything we pursue in our worldly life, like wealth, status, health, and wisdom, I realize that none of them could satisfy my spiritual thirst.

The Lord is the only way to quench our spiritual thirst and make us whole again. I believe that Psalms 16 is an excellent reminder of how good the Lord is to us and that we should not forget His grace and mercy.

Let us learn from King David and let the Lord stand on our right side.