They stole them right out of my locker. I was a 7th grade basketball player and had some brand new Nike basketball shoes that my parents bought for me. I guess I left my locker unlocked, and someone snuck in after hours and took them. It’s a unique feeling that comes upon you when you realize that someone has stolen from you. It’s like a punch in the gut.
Have you ever experienced something like that? I can tell you right now that in many of our lives, we are allowing ourselves to be the victims of theft.
To summarize the Psalm: I have chosen to fully commit myself to the Lord. There are those who try to find joy and satisfaction in other things but that only leads them to sorrow. But I have found life in God, and I will be vindicated when He gives to me fullness of joy and when I am eternally satisfied with Him.
To dive in just a little deeper, give special attention to verse 11. There are three truths I notice here about what God wants for us.
God wants us to experience true life right now.
David tells the Lord that He has made known to him the path of life. Notice that life is not a mere destination. It’s a road. It’s a way of living that doesn’t just lead to life in the future. It is life right now!
God wants us to experience an overflowing joy.
It is in the presence of God that we find joy. And not just joy. But the fullness. Literally, “fullness of joys.” The idea is that joy is spilling over the sides of our souls so much that we cannot hold it in.
God wants us to experience eternal satisfaction.
Not only is there overflowing joy in the presence of God, there are also “pleasures forevermore.” The Hebrew word for pleasures comes from the same root as the word for “satisfaction.” So the idea is not just that we indulge ourselves with fleeting pleasure endlessly, but rather that in the presence of our King there is true and lasting satisfaction.
Those who choose to whole-heartedly run after King Jesus have chosen the path of life, overflowing joy, and eternal satisfaction.
Does that characterize your life right now, though? Do you have joy spilling over the sides of your soul? Are you satisfied (read: content)? Or are you always looking for the next thing- the next toy, relationship, purchase, guilty pleasure?
Are you single-mindedly pursuing a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus? If not, what is dividing your focus?
Whatever that thing is, know that it isn’t harmless. It’s stealing from you.
Jesus wants us to experience true life, overflowing joy, and eternal satisfaction. But we often “run after other gods” and multiply our own sorrows.
Talk to the Lord today about your divided devotion. Turn to Him with open hands, ready to receive what He has promised in Psalm 16.