This year has been extremely difficult. Grieving the loss of my brother, recovering from hip surgery, and my husband’s unemployment have all weighed heavily upon me. Add to that the fact that both of my children have special needs with ongoing therapies, and my heart has felt extremely overwhelmed. As I look at all of the circumstances currently at play in my life, it is easy for discontentment and fear to begin building in my heart. All of these things are difficult, and I often find myself resentful of what seems like a hard lot in life.

A few weeks ago, these feelings of resentment were especially deep. As I grappled with loss and hurt feelings, a deep discontentment began to rise up in my soul. Because he is faithful, the Holy Spirit continued bringing Psalm 16:5-6 to my mind. “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.”

I cried out honestly to God, “Lord, the lines do not feel pleasant right now.” When I looked at the difficult circumstances surrounding me, they felt extremely unpleasant and hard. But the Lord used the truth of this Psalm to teach me to focus not on what is earthly but on what is heavenly.

The Lord Is My Portion
David, the man who penned Psalm 16, was no stranger to difficulty. His godliness and faithfulness to the Lord made him the target of wicked king Saul who sought to take his life. Much of David’s youth was spent on the run from king Saul and he ended up living in enemy territory to make his escape. Right before seeking refuge in the land of the Philistines, David spoke these words to king Saul: “They have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods’” (1 Samuel 19-20).  

After the conquest of Canaan, each tribe of Israel was allotted a portion of land that became their inheritance. This was their heritage and possession from the Lord who faithfully kept his covenant promise that they would dwell in the land. But the tribe of Levi did not receive a portion of land from the Lord. God said to the Levites, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.” God gave the Levites a portion and inheritance that was even better than land. He gave them himself.

David must have brought these words to remembrance as he considered the reality of his portion. He had been cut off from his people, driven from his land and family, and forced to seek refuge among his enemies. Yet he can say with confidence, “The Lord is my chosen portion.” Despite all of the difficulty that surrounded him, David understood that the Lord was an inheritance that would never be taken from him.

The Lord is better than any earthly possession that we could receive. When hardship and difficulty rise up, we can look to the Lord as our most treasured possession. He is a portion that will never be taken away from us. He is always for us and will be with us forever. It is only when we look to the Lord as our portion that we will begin to find true satisfaction. When we look to the possessions of this earth, our hearts will always be left empty and unfulfilled. Instead we must fix our gaze heavenward to the Lord who has given us the gift of himself. He is better than anything this world could ever give.

Trials have a way of revealing what is truly within our hearts, exposing sin and idolatry. False security has a way of slowly creeping into our hearts, crooning promises of safety and value apart from Christ. But trials strip us of false security, reveal our inabilities, bring us face to face with our sinful identity, and force us to rely upon the Lord. Times of hardship require us to take a hard look at what we are truly seeking to satisfy our hearts. When we set our hearts on earthly possessions or status, we will find ourselves greatly shaken when the storms come. Instead we must set our hearts upon Christ as our portion and recognize that true satisfaction is found in him alone.

When everything else is stripped away, Christ remains. And in these moments of testing and pruning, we come to realize that he is indeed enough. To have Christ as our portion is to have all that we need.

God Holds My Lot
God is sovereign. He appoints all things, at all times, and in all places. Because he reigns over all things, nothing happens outside of his divine will and plan. This truth should bring great comfort to our souls. David, the man who has been driven from his home and nation, voices these confident words to the Lord: “You hold my lot.” Nothing in your life will ever take God by surprise because he sovereignly holds each moment in his powerful hands. Because we recognize that God holds our lot, we can rest secure.

When I deeply ponder this truth, the tension in my chest eases and the weight of the world feels lightened. I do not hold my own lot. I am not the master of my own fate. The outcome of my circumstances does not fully depend on me. Instead, I can look to God as the one who firmly holds my life within his unshakable grip. He holds my lot. He is the Master of my fate. He is working in and through each circumstance in my life to sanctify my heart, drive me to rely upon him, and relinquish my feeble efforts to control my own life.

Pleasant Places
David’s exclamation that the lines have fallen in pleasant places reveals the depths of his trust in the Lord. Despite the circumstances that have befallen him, David understands that obedience to God is the pathway to joy. Though he has lost his home and his people, David still has the Lord and his Word. The lines have fallen in pleasant places because God is always true to his Word.  

My heart has wrestled with these truths as deep-seated discontentment often yells in my ears. If left unchecked, untruths resound in my mind as I fight against unpleasant circumstances and difficult emotions. But the pleasant places do not refer to my earthly circumstances. I can say with confidence that the boundary lines have fallen to me in pleasant places because, spiritually, God has provided me with an overflow of divine blessings. He has given me the good gift of his Son, granted me eternal life, adopted me into the family of God, and promised me a better home that is yet to come. These are pleasant places indeed.

Beautiful Inheritance
God himself is the most precious and beautiful inheritance we could ever receive. He is far and above any earthly possession or status. We have an inheritance that is “imperishable, unfading, kept in heaven” for us (1 Peter 1:4). As we live now between the promise and the future culmination, we are guarded by God’s power at work within us through faith (1 Peter 1:5). We can walk through the valleys with hands raised in worship and hearts at peace because we know that a beautiful inheritance awaits us. The best is yet to come.

Persevere
Clinging to the truths of Psalm 16:5-6 gives me strength and focus to persevere in the fight for holiness. My circumstances are not random, but are held secure in God’s sovereign hands. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places because everything that God sends into my life is for my good and for his glory. In the here and now, I have the inheritance of salvation through Christ. I also have the hope of an inheritance to come that is beautiful, unfading, and eternally preserved in heaven. Therefore my heart can rejoice.

What difficult circumstances are you walking through? How does the truth of God’s Word give you strength and hope to persevere?