Pleasant Places

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

          you hold my lot.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

          I have a goodly heritage.

                                                     - Psalm 16:5-6

Great Britain is peppered all around with old, ancient stone walls. They are everywhere, marking pasture boundaries, property lines, along the side of the roads, even at the beach. I am impressed that these stone walls have endured more centuries than our nation has existed. I am even more impressed at those who built these walls with back-breaking effort, stone by stone.

The walls give a sense of order to the countryside, in an irregular checkerboard kind of way. Though the walls may restrict the movement of those within their bounds, it is also true that within the walls the inhabitants—namely, sheep or people—have perfect freedom.

When the psalmist reflects on the life he has been given by God, his reaction is this: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” I envision the psalmist surveying the landscape of his life; and within the lot provided to him by God, he sees the abundance of goodness that God has shown to him in his life.

I hope you can look at life through the lens of faith which understands that God's providence and care for you is informed by God's steadfast and infinite love. Of course, there are thorns, and there are stones upon which we have stumbled; but “in all things God is working for the good for those who love him” (Paul's words, not mine; but I wholeheartedly believe them!).

God loves you. Never doubt that, not even for a moment.

God loves you. When you can look at your life through the lens of God's love, then you will be able to join with the psalmist and declare, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places...”