COUNTING ON GOD'S GUIDANCE -- PSALM 16

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You will make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Are you the kind of person who tries to do the right thing?  Actually, I think there are a lot of people like that.  I don’t know too many people who get up in the morning thinking, “I wonder how I can really mess up today!”

But some people are conscientious to a fault.  What do I mean by that?  Some people are obsessed with getting it right to the point that they never enjoy things when they DO get it right.

For instance, some months ago I put great effort into writing 36 lesson plans for a high school literature class I was teaching.  I developed the lessons over about 3 years time, then committed them to writing, then organized, polished, proofread, corrected and published them.  When I sent them to the printer I was very relieved and happy.  But the very next day I caught myself thinking: “Shouldn’t I be working on something important instead of watching this dumb sitcom!”  Good grief.

I have good news for you if you are a person who wants to get it right.  God has got your back!  Psalm 16 says: “I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”  He already knows you want to do the right thing and don’t know what that is.  He whispers to you when you get still at bedtime, and even speaks to you in your dreams.

If you haven’t experienced that and you want to, try this experiment.  Before you go to sleep, quiet your brain for a minute and tell God: “I want to do the right thing about                                          , but I don’t know what that is.  Will you please guide me? I believe you want to guide me, and I’m listening.”

When you awake in the morning, record your thoughts and impressions in a journal.  Do this for several nights, and I’ll bet God shows you a way out of whatever dilemma you’re facing. 

Here is my prayer when I’m facing REALLY BIG questions:

“You will show me the path of life;

In your presence is fullness of joy;

At your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

I’m COUNTING on it.