Psalm 16:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 16:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Verse 2I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
Verse 3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
Verse 4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
Verse 5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
Verse 6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
Verse 7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
Verse 8I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Verse 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
Devotion
When I bought my cabin in Aitkin, Minnesota, fifteen years ago, there was a beautiful stand of choke cherry bushes that dominated the area outside the cabin door. Over time they became infected with black knot that slowly began to kill them. I worked hard to cut out the black knot but the black knot eventually won. I cut the choke cherry bushes back and soon noticed that lilacs began to emerge. Because I was struggling to remove the old choke cherry roots, I used my pickup to pull them out, ruining part of its bumper. But now there is a beautiful grove of lilacs. It has a different look of beauty but it is beauty nonetheless. The process of getting there was not easy, but it has become a metaphor for the creative, transformative process.
The psalmist has experienced both the pain of loss and the wonder of transformation. That is also the rhythm of our lives, death, and resurrection. The psalmist invites us to courageously deal with our grief and it is through that process that something new can be born.
Prayer
Loving Lord Jesus, thank you for your presence in all seasons of life. Today give us courage to step into those places that need to be transformed and faith to let go of what no longer serves. Amen.