“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
Psalm 16:6
“Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”
Psalm 116:7
There is a particular peace that settles over me when I dwell on these two verses. I seem to sense my heart and mind quieting as I focus on the goodness of my God toward me as one of His children.
Our God is good to us. Abundantly, unbelievably good. He delights in us and wants our joy to be complete. It is this God who has written each of our days. The days when the sun is shining brightly on our path, the days when it seems covered in shadow, and the days when it feels like our path has entirely fallen away from our feet. He has written it all. And His steadfast love and faithfulness characterize each step and unexpected turn.
“My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is…But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:17, 21-23). Even in a moment when happiness seems a far-off dream, when the world has crashed around us, hope is not gone. Because our God still reigns. And He still loves us, His mercy is still here, and His faithfulness to us is still great.
“‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (Lamentations 3:24). Whatever our current circumstances, we have a steadfast hope in our Lord. One that will never prove false. He is our portion, the portion which satisfies and fills us with unspeakable joy. The lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, because we are kept in the powerful hands of God, upheld by His steadfast love. Our souls can rest, trusting entirely in our Lord, who has dealt bountifully with us. “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling” (Psalm 116:8).
He is faithful. He is good. And He is for us. Always.
“I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them.
And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness,
with all my heart and all my soul.”
Jeremiah 32:40-41
In Pleasant Places 