A Beautiful Inheritance

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:5-11 ESV). Our Christmas visit to Texas was certainly full of interesting weather. When we first arrived it was warm and pleasant in Central Texas. A day later there were storms predicted to make their way across the area. They came in with a vengeance. In fact, just 50 miles east of us E3 and E4 tornados touched down in a densely populated area near Dallas and did a great deal of damage. Just a day after that a cold front came through and dropped nearly four inches of snow in our area! Unpredictable and beautiful were just two of the words that came to my mind. Texas weather is like that. Nature has a way of revealing something of the unpredictable and beautiful nature of God. Of all the places in the land of God’s ancient people none was more beautiful and refreshing than En-gedi. Torrents of water flowing from the Shulamit Waterfall, 656 feet above the Dead Sea, made this a home to the widest array of wildlife. En-gedi was where the desert always blossomed; just as prophesized it has begun to blossom again. Then, and now, En-gedi was for God’s people a symbol of life. Once a half-crazed Saul brought his elite troops to these refreshing waters only to be trapped in a cave when his prey, David, became the predator. David’s troops urged him to crush Saul but David’s God-sensitized conscience held him back. “I will not raise my hand against my lord;” David declared, “for he is the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10). When Solomon refers to his beloved as a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi he is simply echoing the blessing of God that his father David had experienced at En-gedi. David later wrote a Psalm about his experience there which is our reading today. I love his declaration: “In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Your New Year may be full of foreboding. Could you join me in the knowledge that God has not abandoned you, nor will he do anything but work things together for your good. Trust Him!