Psalm 16: I said to the LORD you're my LORD

I said to the Lord You're my Lord,

And apart from You I've no good thing;

And as for the godly who live in the land,

They are glorious and make my heart sing.

Keep me safe Lord; you're my refuge.

But those who run after false gods,

Their sorrow shall surely increase;

And I will not pour out their off’rings of blood,

And from speaking out their names, I will cease.

Keep me safe Lord; you're my refuge.

Lord You’re my portion and cup;

My lot is secure in your sight,

And in pleasant places my boundaries are set;

My inheritance brings me such delight.

Keep me safe Lord; you're my refuge.

I will praise the Lord who counsels me;

When at night time my heart instructs me.

The Lord's set before me, he's at my right hand,

And shaken in him I won’t be.

Keep me safe Lord; you're my refuge.

So with glad heart my tongue will rejoice;

My body can rest, secure I’ll stay

Nor will you abandon my life to the grave,

For your Holy One will not see decay.

Keep me safe Lord; you're my refuge.

You have made known life’s pathway to me;

And there’s joy in your presence that I see.

Eternal pleasures are at your right hand;

And with you for evermore we will be.

Jeff Lowe: lead vocal, backing vocals, guitars, keys

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In our modern world, we can sometimes delude ourselves that we are safe. We are not, of course. Maybe the threat of an atom bomb attack has, for the moment, disappeared from the collective imagination (or has it?). But worldwide there are tangible threats of madmen with bombs, while fears of unemployment, earthquakes, business failure, floods, serious illness and a dozen more evils can intrude into our thinking. In all these things the believer calls on the Lord for protection. In our heart of hearts we’ve come to admit that apart from him we have no good thing. It is the holy ones, the noble ones with whom we fellowship who help us overcome fear and makes us understand once again that only in the Lord are we secure. The place where the Lord puts us is a good and pleasant place while our inheritance is truly delightful. Every night when I read God’s Word my heart wells with praise and as the Lord counsels us we find we are not afraid but full of gladness. We know with certainty that we will never be abandoned to the realm of the dead. The Lord never let his faithful one, the Lord Jesus Christ, see decay. And by his grace neither will those of us who have been placed on the path of resurrected life.

When the Apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, (the day the Church was born), he quoted from this Psalm, which originally spoke about King David. Peter points out (Acts 2:29 – 31), that the psalm cannot possibly refer to David himself as it is plain that he did die and was buried. In fact he tells us that his tomb is there for all to see. No the psalmist is prophesying about one who would come from David’s line – the Lord Jesus Christ. “God has raised this Jesus to life and we are witnesses of it.” (v 32) Indeed we are! But also we share in the same inheritance – amazing!