In Psalm 16, David doesn’t make a laundry list of every danger or threat surrounding him, but he does declare he knows where safety is found. He begins, “Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.” His confidence isn’t rooted in a favorable set of circumstances, but in the character and presence of God.
 
There’s an interesting progression we see take place in this passage as David moves from refuge to delight, and from delight to confidence, then from confidence to joy. He rejects the false security of other gods and receives the Lord as his portion and inheritance. His heart is glad, and his whole being rejoices.
 
I love what he says next: “My body also rests securely.”
 
He’s not just saying he feels calm and collected. David is saying his hope reaches even to the grave. He trusts that God will not abandon him to Sheol, the realm of the dead, or allow his faithful one to see decay.
 
This is an interesting statement, since the New Testament is plain (as is common sense and history) that David did, in fact, die and his body decayed in the grave. So, what can this passage mean? Ultimately, these words find their fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus. Though David died, was buried, and saw decay, Jesus did not.
 
This Psalm also becomes a song of hope for you and me. Our hearts often seek security in things death can actually take from us. We trust in strength, plans, health, income, or our ability to control the world around us, but none of these can carry the full weight of our hope.

Only God who raises the dead can promise a security that reaches beyond the grave.
Scripture doesn’t rebuke us for feeling the weight of mortality or grieving under the intact sting of death in this life, but it does invite us to bring that grief into the presence of the risen Christ.

May we rest in the security not even death can destroy.

What temporary refuge are you most tempted to treat as your ultimate source of security? What fear shows up in your heart when you consider death, deep loss, or even physical weakness?

Father, I choose you to be my portion and my security. Forgive me for seeking temporary things for the safety only You can provide. When fear does spring up, turn my heart toward the risen Jesus. Thank you that we who belong to Christ are not abandoned. Amen.

“The fear I need to place in the hands of the risen Christ is __________________.”