angela hormberg

Tag: Purposeful Life

  • Psalm 16

    Psalm 16

    Commonplace –

    “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11).

    Psalm 16 is a beautiful meditation on a life purposed to follow God. It is all about living with intention and persistently pursuing God. How do we live that way?

    Purposeful Living

    David shares with us how he lives intentionally.

    1. He puts his trust in God. (v.1)
    2. He seeks God’s counsel. (v.7)
    3. He sets the Lord always before him. (v.8)
    4. He recognizes God maintains his lot. (v.5)
    5. He rests in the hope that God will not leave him nor forsake him. (v.10).

    David shares with us how he receives God’s gifts. Often we ask for things from God and we are committed to following God, but we never receive the gifts of God. We continue to live in stress and worry. What does receiving the gifts of God look like?

    1. Recognizing the good things in our lives and being thankful for them. (v.6).
    2. Living with a glad heart and rejoicing in the Lord always no matter the circumstances. (v.9).

    God gives us the gift of life; life is a gift. There is always something to be thankful for: breath of life, sunshine, rain, food, people that come into our lives, even if it’s simply a stranger with a smile. Recognizing these things is an essential part of living with a glad heart. When we purpose to recognize the good, we are also purposing to see past our present unpleasant circumstances. This is key to obtaining the joy that David is talking about in this psalm. It is a mindset. It is affirming the goodness of God and the gift of life. It is the very essence of hope. Connect your hope with action: be “be patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In this way we live the life Christ modeled for us.

    Matthew Henry’s summary includes the following excerpt:

    “This psalm has something of David in it, but much more of Christ. It begins with expressed devotion as may be applied to Christ; but concludes with such confidence of a resurrection (and so timely a one as to prevent corruption) as must be applied to Christ” (234).

    And our faith in Christ gives us the same confidence in eternal life. We can have that eternal life now through faith, and we can walk that faith out every day.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 16.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg