Passage: 1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(Psalm 16:1-6)Reflection:“Apart from you I have no good” (Psalm 16:2). It’s a short sentence, but it says more than entire volumes of theology. David’s words here are a confession, a re-centering of the heart around a simple truth: God himself is the source of everything good.At one level, this is about gratitude. Every good thing—relationships, work, beauty, food, rest—is ultimately a gift from God. Even when life feels chaotic or uncertain, the blessings that remain are not accidents. They come from a good and generous hand. So this psalm invites us to say thank you—not just in a general sense, but directly to the one from whom every good and perfect gift comes.But David’s words also go deeper. They’re not just about receiving good things from God, but about recognizing that God himself is the good thing we need most. He is our portion and our cup (Psalm 16:5). He is the inheritance that makes all the “lines” fall in pleasant places (16:6). To know him is better than any other joy or achievement life could offer. To walk apart from him is to forfeit true life, even if we appear to gain everything else.So consider: Do you see God as the giver of every good thing—or do you live as if you must grab those things on your own? Is your joy rooted in God himself—or only in the gifts he gives?Sometime today, pray that God would re-center your heart to delight in him above all else—and thank him for every good thing that flows from his hand.Song:Fullness of Joy (Psalm 16) by Caroline Cobb SmithLyrics:O God You are my refugeI know without YouI have no good thingO God You are my portionMy chosen portionYou are what I needNo other god beside YouYou hold my lot and fill my cupOh beautiful inheritanceYou are enoughIn your presence there is fullnessThere is fullness of joyAt your right hand there is goodnessBoundless goodnessForevermoreI choose you LordO God you go before meYou’re right beside meIn my darkest nightMy God you hold my futureMy hope it rests secureIn the finished work of ChristMy heart is gladMy soul rejoicesYou hold me fast you won’t let goYour ways are good and good for meI’m yours and yours aloneYour holy one has risen upHe’s overcome the graveThe path of life is opened wideFor he has made a wayPrayer: “O God, you are life, wisdom, truth, bounty, and blessedness,the eternal, the only true good;our God and our Lord, you are our hope and our heart’s joy—we acknowledge with thanksgiving that you have made us in your image,and that we may direct our thoughts to you.Lord, make us know you aright,that we may love, enjoy, and possess you more and more;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”— Anselm