"Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure."
Psalm 16:5
This little verse could take weeks to chew over. It really speaks of "who" is our sustenance, who fills us up, in whom do we find contentment? In our study with Priscilla Shirer (SEEDS study) this past week we were meditating on verses of "control" and "enough". Is God enough for us? Are we in control or is God? Heavy stuff if you want to be totally honest.
One translation says "Lord, you have assigned me my portion...". The Message Bible says it this way..."My choice is you, GOD, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!"
When I first began this study, our family was experiencing some incredible hardships happening all in the space of four weeks. My husband had a painful toothache, problems with his knee that required an MRI and surgery, a skin rash that was inexplainable and would not disappear. He also had a minor accident involving a falling structure that barely missed him resulting in a dislocated shoulder and weeks of chiropractic care. He was told had he moved a second later, the structure would have landed on him and possibly killed him. He also caught his hair on fire and a light burn on his face. We had an abnormal test return from a physical I had at the doctor's. On top of all of this, there was a mistake on our taxes...did we owe or didn't we? And....there was a lack of construction work, nothing in sight as far as employment. I am not kidding...all of this in the month of March a few years ago.
We had so many "in your face" attacks that we knew the enemy of our soul was out to discourage us. We prayed earnestly and sought prayer from our friends to battle on our behalf. These types of scenarios are what bring us to our knees where we have to decide...is God enough? Can I trust Him to be in control? And as we sought the contentment in Him, I wanted to walk in the victory despite the turbulent circumstances seemingly wanting to swallow us whole. That smile on my face needed to be the real thing and not a facade. He REALLY WAS AND IS OUR PORTION!
The feminine noun in Hebrew for "portion" means a portion of food parceled out for me. When God fills us, He knows the amount that I need to specifically fill me so that I do not lack - we are no longer hungry or go looking for something else to satisfy us. Some versions use the word "inheritance" instead of portion. This meant a parcel or tract of land. The Levite tribe of Israel was told they would not have a parcel of land allotted to them. All the other tribes of Israel had land given to them for their inheritance. God told the Levites "He" would be their inheritance, their portion. (Deuteronomy 10:9)
Psalm 142:5...I cry to you, O Lord, I say, “You are my refuge, my PORTION in the land of the living.”
You who know God and have a living genuine relationship with Him know what I mean by this. I for one, don't like those trials and hardships that cause me to cry out to Him with all that is within me. It's painful, it hurts, it can be incredibly despairing. But I wouldn't trade the closeness I received from God during those times and the peace, contentment and victory He is willing to pour out to us when we choose Him.
And that, my friends, is only a small portion (smile) of that verse...the cup and my secure lot is to come :)
To think about and ponder..."What circumstances are you currently facing that you feel ill-equipped to handle? Do you have excuses for not fully surrendering to God His control in those circumstances? Will you let Him be enough for you...will you let go of trying to come up with the answers and solutions...and let Him be your portion?"
I pray God will bless you with His portion today!
Photo credit: Viktor Matorin
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