1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations** of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIV
What would lead a person to begin a pray the way this psalm begins?
Verses 2-4 are a personal manifesto, a declaration of how the writer of this psalm intends to live. Imagine what each phrase would look like if you were to live out this manifesto in your circumstances today.
Back in verse 1, the writer considers God to be a refuge. How do verses 5-8 describe what the writer thinks it means for God to be a "refuge"?
There is a huge contrast between verse 1 and verse 9. How did the writer get to verse 9?
Verses 10-11 look forward to a remarkable future safety for the writer. Consider the many components to the following question: Does the writer consider God to be a refuge while he is alive or after he has died?
::::: Digging Deeper :::::
So, after reading this chapter, what expanded understanding do you have that God is your "refuge"? How does this impact the way you approach current tensions and troubles in life?
**A "libation" is a pouring out of liquid.
Related articles
