Reflections
“With the Lord at my right hand, I shall never be shaken.”
In this psalm David expresses his joy and enthusiasm
for a life lived in the presence of God. For us too,
God is the source of our joy. So long as we choose
God and follow his Word, we too will be offered
that allotted cup of blessings that David refers to,
“Lord, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.”
St Peter cites the Psalm's verses in today’s 1st reading,
and Peter affirms that David's verses speak of the
resurrection of Christ. (Acts 2: 25-28, 31)
A key reference for Peter is Verse 10 of the Psalm,
“You will not suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption,”
Death is destroyed; our faith in everlasting life with our
resurrected Lord is confirmed. As David says, “I set the
Lord ever before me; abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.”
For us too these are encouraging words. The Lord promises,
if we are his faithful servants, that we will not have to see the pit;
He will not abandon us. As David says, this is enough to make
our hearts glad and our souls rejoice.
When the Lord is with us, do not our hearts burn within us,
as the two disciples declare on the road to Emmaus in today's
Gospel? (Luke 24:32)
Our burdens are made light; His yoke is easy, and that gladdens
the heart and strengthens the body. We raise a song of praise
to our risen Savior!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm 's verses affirm that we who are His faithful ones will remain
in the presence of our Lord forever. Speak of how you are encouraged by
the Psalm's promises.
2. Our psalmist inspires us to set the Lord ever before us and if we do so,
"My soul rejoices, my body too abides in confidence." How do you go about
putting the Lord first in your life despite all the worldly distractions that surround us?
I am very much encouraged by the promises of Psalm 16. I am especially drawn to the phrasing in v.6. "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage." I feel as if it's a declaration of the borderlines, or boundaries that God has appointed for me. And within those designated spaces or circumstances, I am given unique abilities to do his good works. Through this verse, I am reaffirmed in the wonderful plan for my life and I will reap joy because he wills it for me. It is my royal inheritance from my King.
ReplyDeleteThe entire Psalm is one of trust and security in God. God is the source of everlasting life and all that is good. On my part, the Lord asks for perseverance and for me to stay on a close walk with him. How shall I do that? I magnify him in my life; I make him larger than my troubles (as he is.) I just need to declare it and believe it, repeatedly sometimes. Verse 11 concludes the Psalm, and is reminiscent of Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd. Verse 11 says, "You show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, in your right hand are pleasures for evermore." Amen.
1. You are my allotted portion of blessings and my cup,
ReplyDeletewhich have made my destiny secure.
As long as we live in the presence of God, we will enjoy the promise of his abounding joy. It will make our hearts glad and our souls rejoice. Our burdens are made light, we strengthen our bodies.
He will not forsake us. He will make our life secure so long as we
change our ways and adopt God’s given standards.
We are obsessed with worldly desires and pleasure, money etc.
If we don’t change, we can not get God’s allotted portion of blessings and the cup that are granted to us.
Here in this psalm David's heart was glad. He found the secret to joy, which is based on God’s presence within us. We will find contentment if we seek His presence on a daily basis.
We will experience true joy far deeper than happiness in spite of our troubles and trials.
God will bring us to life with Him forever; we are assured God will not forget us when we die even if death destroys our body.
He will not forsake us. He has assigned me my portion of blessings and my cup.
He will make our life secure with his promise. He is at my right hand.
I will not be shaken. God is the source of our joy.
2. As weak human beings it will not be easy for us to put the Lord
first in our life over the worldly desires and all distractions which surround us.
By praying I acknowledge Him as my Lord.
He is at my right hand; I will not be shaken.
He will fill me with joy in His eternal presence.
Believers or unbelievers alike experience troubles, pain, failures, confusion, and have a sense of helplessness about life.
If we constantly think about his way of life we will gain the insight and wisdom which leads us to right decisions and life the way God desires.
Having been shown the path of life, I will not be shaken. I will have found the secret of joy, true joy deeper than happiness.
Because the joy He promises is lasting.
As we pray and contemplate his daily presence we will find contentment within our hearts. Therefore our hearts are glad and rejoice.