God of My Pleasant Places

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance" (Psalm 16:6).

The Bible tells us that when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, Joshua, Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the tribes divided the land for inheritance by their borders (see Josh. 19:49). The “lines” in our text were the boundaries around those pieces of property. David, thinking about this, was able to look at his life and say, “the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.”

I once found myself raising my voice in praise to God for exactly the same reason. I thanked God for the “pleasant places” of our home, our marriage, and our relationship with our grown children. I praised Him for our ministry, and for our friendships. I thought about the pleasant place around our dining table, and our bank balance with enough money to buy clothes and necessities. Like King David, I could truly say “Yes, the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places!”

Then another thought came to mind, engendering petition. This time it was a warning.

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land,…..When you have eaten and are full,…..Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God….When your heart is lifted up…then you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth. (Deut. 8:7-18)

It was quite simple, really; I had been reminded not to make my pleasant places my God, but rather to worship the God of my pleasant places!