Lord, You’re Everything to Me
by David Raggett
In Psalm 16, David expresses his love and passion for the Lord. He starts by praying, ‘Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge’. This is the safest place to be – under God’s umbrella of protection. It’s a choice we can choose to make.
David says clearly ‘You are my Lord’. Submitting to the Lord leads David to blessing. He writes of the safety, security and satisfaction he enjoys because of doing this. And as we enthrone Jesus as Lord in our lives, then we’ll experience the truth, as David did, of the goodness of the Lord.
David’s aware of the folly of following false gods, and says he won’t give any allegiance to them, or even to speak of them. I pray we’ll be preserved from giving place to anything in our lives that takes the place that God should have.
He says, ‘LORD, You alone are my portion and cup’ (verse 5). It’s like saying, “Lord I simply desire to feed on You and to drink from You”. I’m reminded that Jesus said He was ‘the bread of life’, and, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come unto Me and drink’ (John 7:37). David says, ‘Surely I have a delightful inheritance’. So, David praises the Lord and experiences Him touching his heart. Yes, Lord, I certainly need more of that!
You may ask how you can really enjoy such blessings for yourself. David gives the answer ‘I will keep my eyes always on the Lord!’ he’s very determined to do this. As he experiences intimacy with the Lord, he goes on to enjoy stability and strength.
David ends his psalm with prophetic words about resurrection to eternal life, saying, ‘You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand’ (Psalm 16:10-11).
This is often understood as a prophecy of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus when He rose from the dead. But it gives a wonderful assurance to us too, in relation to our personal destiny - the certain hope of resurrection, fullness of life, joy in His presence and eternal pleasures, as we’re ushered into His glorious presence. All this can be ours if we enthrone Jesus as Lord, trust Him as our refuge, and submit to Him, desiring and feeding on Him alone.
Prayer: Lord I enthrone You and desire nothing less than to feed on You and draw my life, sustenance and strength from You. Bless me with Your presence, Lord. Amen.
David Raggett has been on the Associate Ministry Team at Ellel Grange for the past seven years. Previously he was in full time Christian ministry involved in preaching, teaching and children's ministry across the UK and in Zambia. His great desire is to see people set free, healed and knowing who they are in Christ.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
