Psalm 16 Reflections {Chosen Portion}
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This week’s Psalm 16 Reflection prompt is: CHOSEN PORTION
Growing up as an only child, I never had to worry about who was going to get the biggest or the best portion.
Who got the chocolate chip cookie with the most chips? Me.
Who always got to sit in the front seat on the way home from school? Me again.
Who got all of my parents’ attention? Yep, that would be me.
As I got older though, I began to see that the portion I wanted, the portion I envisioned myself having, didn’t always go to me.
That other girl got the lead in the school play.
That boy didn’t want me as his girlfriend.
That family got to take their baby girl home from the hospital.
There were many times when I felt like my portion wasn’t fair. It wasn’t as pretty as hers or as easy as his. My portion didn’t seem big enough or bright enough. There are still times when I struggle with these thoughts. When that happens, I remind myself of Psalm 16:2,5:
“I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.’
“Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.”
God is my portion. All these things on earth that I chase after, that I think will satisfy, they pale in comparison to the Lord Almighty. It’s not good if God’s not in it. He, alone, needs to be what we seek, what we desire, and what we crave. God is enough.
We see in verse 5 that God makes our lot secure. We never have to worry about not getting what we need. God always provides. With the mention of “portion” and “our lot,” I’m reminded of the man, Lot, in the Bible. Lot was Abraham’s nephew who had been traveling around with him. Both men had acquired a large amount of livestock and servants. Sharing the same space was no longer beneficial for them. Abraham gave Lot first pick at the land. He was able to decide which portion he would have and reside in. Let’s take a look at this story and see the difference in how the two men responded.
Genesis 16:10-18
“Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.”
Lot chose the portion that looked best to him, but chose to live near Sodom, a city that was known for evil and that God later destroyed. Lot ended up losing his wife and subjecting his family to horrendous evil because of his poor choice.
Abraham, on the other hand, let God determine his portion. And after God chose, Abraham made an altar to the Lord in worship of the one who was his “portion” and made his “lot secure.” Abraham is known as the father of all nations and was blessed greatly by God because of his reliance on God.
Who do you want to be like today? Like Lot, whose focus was on the bigger and brighter portion? Or like Abraham who claimed the Lord as his portion and trusted God with his future?
Stephanie Blanks is an elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home mom. She is married to Matt and has four children: Lyston (7), Kinley (who went home to Jesus in 2011), Levi (4), and Leighton (2). Stephanie enjoys singing in her church praise band, running, reading, and spending time with her family.
Come write with us! How has God been your Chosen Portion in grief?
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