There Is No Greater Joy Than Being Loved By The One True God, AMEN!

There is a reason for the psalmist’s praise here. He is sure in his faith in the One, True God. There is no greater comfort than to finally realize that God is God alone and that his love is both personal and eternal. It is in this faith that we humbly and recognize that we are his children to whom he shows great care.

Psalm 16 is a full blown statement of the belief in one God. The psalmist recognizes that “Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.” Why is this? Because they are false gods, empty of power, useless in offering safety, or delight, counsel, or even instruction of any kind. Their appeal is rooted in fears of all kinds and to the desires of the ego. There is no joy in these false gods, they can not give what they promise. The Lord alone can offer us love, mercy, forgiveness and the salvation that our souls desire. For he made us in his own image and he loves us as our father.

We, too, can be prone to give our allegiance to false gods. We may not build idols to them like the people of ancient times, but many worship at the altars of things like money, or temporal powers like political power, or to even more base things like fame, or sex, or drugs. They give their whole being to these things and find only suffering in the end.

For those of us who believe in God, who have seen the wisdom of his ways, who have experienced the joy of his presence in their lives, there is nothing else in this world that can compare with his love and his faithfulness toward us. There is only joy in bending our wills to his, for his will is the source of all life, all that is good, true, and beautiful in this world and in the next. Like the psalmist we have come to know the comfort of God’s love for us. We too can say, “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me…” For his counsel always orients us toward what is good. We too have come to realize that, if we keep our eyes on the Lord alone, he will always be at our right hand and we will not be shaken. (verse 8) This is why our hearts are glad. We believe in One who will never abandon us, who will always remain faithful to his promises to us. He alone shows us the path to happiness here on earth and to the eternal joy of heaven.

Lord, you are our joy. In you we put our faith and to you alone we offer our thanksgiving. You are the joy of our hearts. Help us to always keep our eyes on you and to love you with our whole hearts, minds, bodies and souls, and our neighbors as ourselves. Let our lives be a worthy praise to you who made us and saved us in love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

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