Psalm 16 - "He Loves Us"

Today is Friday...yeh!!!! That means a lot of different things to people. Some it means the end of the work week. Some the end of a school week. For me it doesn't mean either of those things but it does mean the end of Doc's secular work week which makes me very happy! I am hoping we can have a date night even if it is just watching something on netflix with homemade pizza. Just to have some time with no constraints or duties would be awesome. As I reflect back on this week I am blessed in abundance with all God did throughout the week to make me know He loves me...

• Monday night JOY ministries was so fun gathering to study, pray and fellowship
• Tuesday night with one of the young girls accepting the Lord
• Wednesday night our time of study on prophecy
• Thursday with the way He held me as I went through the follow-up mammogram and then blessed me with it being 'good'
• Getting my final grades for Systematic Theology I...yeh for A's!
• 'Chatting' with Paul, Ben and Rachel
• Many opportunities to share Him with others; praying with Roberta when He directed me too even though I didn't know what she was going through until afterward

I am sure there were many more blessings but these are the ones that stand out in my mind. Is my life perfect? No. Do I have hurts in my heart? Yes. Is God greater than those hurts? Yes! Why? Because He loves me so greatly. I am His obedient servant. He takes me places where things do not make sense yet I know He is in control. Places such as South Carolina when Ohio was the only thing I ever knew. Or praying with people I don't know with a confidence that He is in control. I remember when I use to say He took me 'out of my comfort zone' but the other day I realized I no longer have a 'comfort zone' as I use to have. My 'comfort zone' is wherever He leads me. Woo hoo! That is an exciting thing to realize! I love the words to "He Loves Us"...

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way...
That He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,

Psalm 16 is one of devotion to the Lord. David fled to God believing He would protect Him. He had confidence in God that is a great example of how we need to live. We need to flee to Him daily and ask Him for forgiveness of anything that may be between Him and us. We need to ask with confidence for Him to fill us with more of Himself. The only way we will spend life for eternity with Him is to live life for Him on this earth. We must not live for ourselves but rather live for Him. Our 'comfort zones' must be no longer. We need to be 'comfortable' in whatever setting He puts us. That may mean leaving the life we've always known with people who love and support us. It may mean living in an 'unknown' world where everything is different. It may mean talking with people we don't know. It definitely means allowing God to be everything we need or 'a portion.' When we sit down and eat a meal, a portion is what we need. A second portion may be what we want but not necessarily what we need. In our relationship with God, a portion of Him is exactly what we need. It also should be what we want. Verse seven is especially true for me because He speaks to me often during the night. My 'portion' of Him is found in living a '24/7' type of life. Matthew Henry writes about Psalm 16...

"David declares his resolution to have no fellowship with the works of darkness; he repeats the solemn choice he had made of God for his portion and happiness, takes to himself the comfort of the choice, and gives God the glory of it. This is the language of a devout and pious soul. Most take the world for their chief good, and place their happiness in the enjoyments of it; but how poor soever my condition is in this world, let me have the love and favour of God, and be accepted of him; let me have a title by promise to life and happiness in the future state; and I have enough. Heaven is an inheritance; we must take that for our home, our rest, our everlasting good, and look upon this world to be no more ours, than the country through which is our road to our Father's house. Those that have God for their portion, have a goodly heritage. Return unto thy rest, O my soul, and look no further." 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all of the blessings of this week. Thank You for being My Portion and Prize. Thank You for Your love, grace and mercy that allows me to bask in Your presence. Father, as I said a couple weeks ago, there are times when I feel like I am experiencing heaven on this earth. You are so awesome in the way You cleanse me each day and then fill me up with more of You so I can be Your obedient servant. Thank You for the times with my little guys yesterday that distracted me from my afternoon appointment. Thank You for the ladies at the Mammogram office that were so supportive as I fell apart. Thank You for Angela who was so gentle not only physically but emotionally. Father, I pray a healing blessing upon my husband who had little sleep last night. Give Him Your supernatural empowerment as he works today. Bless Him in abundance with opportunities to be You to others. Thank You for the blessings of that You have already given him this week. May the seeds that have been planted become fertilized and grow. Thank You for being Our Portion and Our Prize. Amen.