One of my favorite psalms–and quite possibly my favorite–is Psalm 16. Over the years, I have gone back to it many times. I go to it when I struggle with sin; I go to it when I look for guidance; I go to it when I need relational advice; and I go to it when I have difficulty trusting in God and in his good, pleasing, and perfect plans.
The title of this psalm is You Will Not Abandon My Soul. Indeed, this theme of God’s faithfulness and goodness speaks not just to matters of salvation, but to every situation—relational, vocational, financial, emotional, and spiritual—where we feel like He is losing us or we are losing Him.
The first two verses and the last two verses of this great psalm truly bookend and contextualize the overall meaning conveyed throughout all 11 verses. The first two verses proclaim that we have no good apart from God, which means that He alone is good can be an adequate and sufficient refuge for us through life—in the good and the bad. And the last two verses actually amplify this message even more explicitly, saying how true and full joy are assured promises from the One who only can save us from the penalty, power, and presence of sin after all. These ‘bookends’ of the psalm pervasively imbue a significant perspective throughout the verses ‘sandwhiched’ in between.
Verses 3 and 4 speak about the significance of relationships in life, specifically the importance and necessity of godly relationships. The two verses are artfully written, for it seems like that psalmist is creating a contrast between godly friends and ungodly friends. The psalmist’s contrast reveals that the main difference between godly and ungodly friends is the potential level of delight that will ultimately be afforded. “The saints of the land” give delight, for truly, they are connected and vitalized by the One in whom all true delight resides. On the other hand, the ungodly run after things that will ultimately fade and bring ruin. While the godly are supported by the Lord’s constant source of joy, the ungodly have no other choice but to pursue after things that will multiply sorrow. If we were made for God, then making ‘ other things’ our functional savior will never work, but only make us worse off.
Furthermore, verses 5-9 makes a compelling argument about how the Source of all Joy also is the Source of all direction, which is not unrelated to our experience of ultimate joy and direction after all. God gives us counsel in addition to the longings of our hearts, which is not mutually exclusive if our ultimate delight is in Him. Truly, God holds your heart, your direction, your purpose, and your destiny—all with ultimately loving and joyful intentions in mind.
Many times it seems like direction and joy are diametrically opposing ideas in the sense that we must ‘figure out direction’ and ‘get direction right’ in order to then claim the ‘joy’ that allegedly lies ahead. I know I’ve felt this way. However, it seems that this psalm is arguing for not the exact opposite, but certainly nothing less than that. Meaning, God in his sovereignty melds direction and joy sometimes in the furnace of suffering and uncertainty. God treats direction not as a prerequisite for joy, but direction as part of joy. In other words, joy is not just achieved in the destination, but is achievable in the direction of the progression. In light of a completely loving and sovereign God, joy isn’t the reward I get after correctly figuring out a puzzle of direction. In light of the God of Joy and Direction, walking with him infuses direction with joy and joy with direction. Walking with the God of Joy and Direction means joy becomes the journey and the destination.
That truth empowers vitality to my paralyzed bones of insecurities. That truth breathes life into my weary, confused spirit. That truth encourages me to risk with delight instead of to wait with doubt. I can jump out of the plane of uncertainty with the assurance that God is not only my unfailing parachute, but that he is also my ever-guiding source of wind. The reality of a God of Joy and Direction who takes redemptive interest in insignificant and rebellious like me is empowering… and it gives me both joy and direction.
To conclude, the theme of joy and direction in this psalm artfully speaks to all circumstantial and situational experiences of life because it emphasizes a God of Joy and Direction who woos us in every circumstance and situation to fall back, trust, and enjoy His own joy and direction throughout the process.
