My Pleasant Boundary Lines
Psalm 16:5-6
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5-6
It’s easy to forget how many years passed between Samuel anointing David as the next king, and David actually assuming the throne as king. One can argue during those years of waiting that David wondered when God would work out all the details.
And yet David waited on the Lord. He never took the throne, even when it seemed from the eyes of man that he was entitled to do so. He trusted that in each moment of waiting, of wondering, of hiding, of not knowing — the LORD was his portion and cup. The LORD held his lot.
God promised greatness to David, yet in the years leading up to the fulfillment of that promise, David’s life looked far from great. The words of Psalm 16 point us to where David placed his hope during those days.
His hope was in the LORD. He believed that each day given to him was his portion and cup. He knew God held his lot, no matter what that looked like. And he also understood the boundary lines God had put in his life kept him in pleasant places.
Where do we find joy in these verses? We see Christ as our beautiful inheritance, knowing that wherever God has us right now is pleasant, no matter how unpleasant it is, because we live each day with Jesus as our Savior.
God has chosen our boundary lines for a reason. For David, his boundary lines kept him off the throne for years. His boundary lines kept him on the run from family. His boundary lines caused him to trust in God or die of despair.
David chose trust. So when the time came to step onto that throne and lead the nation of Israel, his heart, hope and desires were intertwined with God’s in a way they never would have been had God opened those boundary lines earlier in David’s life.
For our own boundary lines, we can rest in knowing God keeps certain things from happening to us for a reason.
Do you feel unsuccessful? Maybe God is protecting your heart from success that would lead you into idolatry.
Do you feel lonely? Maybe God is protecting you from relationships that would lead you away from Him and is instead leading you to lean only on Him right now.
Wherever your boundary lines are, know God has placed you in a pleasant place. This place leads you to Jesus, who secured your inheritance on the cross. Know that whatever you face, however mundane it feels, God has given you this portion for a reason.
And like David, we have the choice to accept it with praise. We can rejoice daily in knowing God has entrusted these exact days to us, placing our boundary lines exactly where they need to be in order to protect us and point us to His Son.
