Have you ever noticed how so much of how you experience a situation depends on who is with you?
For example, a few weeks ago, my wife and I had a great night out with just the two of us. It was nice outside, so we wandered around to find a place with outdoor seating, a good ambiance, and good food. And we finally settled on this Mexican restaurant.
And the food was fine—not the best Mexican food I’ve had, but the food wasn’t what made that night so enjoyable. I could have gone to the best restaurant around, but if I went by myself or with someone else, it wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable as the meal I shared with Meifung—because what made that night such a fun time was being with her, being in her presence.
So much of the quality of an experience depends on in whose presence you are. A meal is so much sweeter when you’re with someone whom you love and who loves you.
Seeking Joy
That night reminds me of Psalm 16, which is a meditation on the blessing of living in God’s presence, in the presence of someone who loves you far more than you could ever know and who desires for you to love him in return.
We all want a life filled with joy, but the problem is that our hearts are so quick to run after other things. I know that's true of me. What about you?
We think it’s about finding the best food, but it’s really about with whom you share the meal. Psalm 16 reminds us that true joy is found in the presence of God.
The entire Psalm is a crescendo of blessings, each building on the last as David recounts the many blessings of living in God’s presence.
The Blessing of Community
David first speaks of the blessing of community. “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Psalm 16:3).
It could be through help in a time of need, such as when I was incapacitated due to a bicycle accident and a family from my church took me into their home and cared for me. It also looks like an encouraging text from a friend or a listening ear. One of the blessings of living in God’s presence is the shared presence of other believers.
The Blessing of an Inheritance
Next, David alludes to the allotment of the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel and tells us that we have an inheritance that far surpasses even the choicest earthly inheritance. Our inheritance is the Lord himself.
Imagine you get word tomorrow that you’ve unexpectedly inherited a billion dollars. What thoughts would flood your mind? How would you react?
I don’t know what I would do, but it would definitely change my perspective on life. I wouldn’t spend any time comparing prices on a tube of toothpaste, to make sure I got the best deal, like I did last week. I wouldn’t worry about saving enough for my kids’ college or retirement. I could trust that we’ll be provided for.
How much greater in your inheritance in the Lord! How much does it change your perspective on life?
How much peace does it give you, when you know that God sees you and will provide for all your needs? How much does it still your heart to know that God delights to bless you as his beloved son or daughter? In the midst of doubt or uncertainty, how much reassurance does it bring you to know the future you have with him? How much joy and awe does it bring you, when you consider being in his presence, blanketed with his love and glory for all eternity?
The Blessing of Counsel
The Psalm continues to rise as David reflects on the blessing of God’s counsel. “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me” (Psalm 16:7).
I remember when I was in college, pursuing a degree in classical guitar performance, and after the first year, I felt surprisingly unfulfilled. Over the course of that summer, I sought God’s guidance, and he redirected me toward a calling in pastoral ministry. And it took time, but in the following years, he gradually grew my confidence in that decision and my peace in following his counsel.
When I reflect on those years, I can’t help but bless the Lord who gives me counsel. I sought him, and he answered.
Maybe you’ve experienced the kind of heart-searching that keeps you up at night[1] like David describes, as you’ve sought God’s will for a relationship or for how to talk with your daughter who has wandered from the faith. Maybe you’ve sought God’s wisdom for your career or for where to live. As the Lord gives you counsel, bless him for it.
The Blessing of Strength
Next, David blesses God for the strength that he gives him. “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).
The imagery of God's right hand symbolizes his power in battle. David is recalling the times when God was with him to bring him victory over his enemies.
And the same God who was with David when his life was in danger, is with you when your marriage is on the rocks. The same God who was with the humble shepherd David to defeat Goliath is with you when you feel inadequate at work or at home. The same God who was with David when there were men seeking to take his life, is with you when the economy takes a hit or a coworker has it out for you.
Cry out to him in the night, for God is with you, fighting on your behalf. Because he is at your right hand, you will not be shaken.
The Blessing in Death
In the final verses of the Psalm, David reaches a climax of praise as he declares God’s blessing even in death.
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:10–11).
Last month, a friend called to tell me that one of our friends died unexpectedly—just 54 years old. A couple of weeks ago was also the anniversary of the death of two of my grandparents.
As I reflect on those deaths, it’s saddening. But as I mourn, I do so with great hope because I trust that those who have made the Lord their God, he has not abandoned to Sheol but has brought them safely into his presence.
You and I can have wonderful joy in God’s presence today. But as great as it is, we’re still living as refugees in exile. Our joy is just a taste of what my grandfather is right now experiencing, as he is at home with the Lord. His pain in old age has turned to pleasures forevermore in the face of God.
That same glorious homecoming awaits you if you trust in him.
Behold the Greater David
None of these blessings are anything we deserve. We all want a life filled with joy, but our sinful hearts turn from God and run after other things. And for that, we deserve for our sorrow to multiply (Psalm 16:4). But because of what Jesus Christ has done on your behalf, if you trust in him, all the blessings of this Psalm are yours.
As Peter preached on Pentecost, this Psalm is ultimately a prophecy about Jesus.[2] Because in the end, David did experience death. But Jesus was not abandoned to Sheol, but, as the faithful Son of God, he was raised from the dead on the third day.
Jesus is the faithful Son of God who did not run after other gods. He did not take their names upon his lips but took our sorrows upon himself. Jesus was shaken, that you, through all the storms of life, might dwell with him secure. Jesus tasted death, that you might live forever at his right hand. Jesus is the one who fully delights in the saints. He so delights in you, that he gave his life that the inheritance he earned by right, he might share with you.
And more than that, he has given us his Spirit as the guarantee or down payment of that inheritance. Being exalted at the right hand of God, he poured out his Spirit upon the church at Pentecost. Christ’s Spirit in God’s presence in you, the key to fullness of joy.
That meal I had a few weeks ago was so much sweeter for having shared it with my lovely wife. A life lived in the presence of God is so much sweeter, for at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.
[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (Downers Grove: IVP, 1973), 102; Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 190.
[2] Acts 2:25ff.; cf. 13:35ff.
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