“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6

This is my favorite verse of all time. These wise words are filled with purpose, passion, and joyful trust in Jesus. I hold them oh so near. 

King David, author of Psalm 16, endured much sorrow in his time yet he is said to have experienced more joy and delight than any other because of his devotion to the Lord. Could it be that even through his deep despair and sadness, pain of loss, betrayal, and the terrible weight of his sins breaking the heart of His God, he found a way to be content? Not only in His God, but also in who he was. YES. Take a moment to learn from a man that went before you and me who gained precious insights through living with and through hardship you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. This one verse holds pearls of wisdom you can’t live without. 

“If you have been renewed by the grace of God, have devoted yourself to the glory of God, then you have boundary lines drawn in pleasant places and you have a delightful inheritance.”

What does it mean to have boundaries and a delightful inheritance? Can the two coexist? In Bible times, lines were drawn literally in the sand to divide land. King David is using the reference to illustrate the portion God has given him in life. If you have been renewed by the grace of God and have devoted yourself to the glory of God, then you have boundary lines drawn in pleasant places and you have a delightful inheritance. You live for more than the pleasures the world can give. The eyes of your heart and soul see past the temporary things of earth, and see the eternal- our home in Heaven. “But Haley, we are on earth right now, so what does this all mean for me?” When God is your portion, you live in His favor, His grace, His goodness, and His protection. The boundary lines of your life are drawn by Him, and you can trust them, find rest in them, feel secure in them. 

Boundaries don’t keep the good out, they keep the good in! God knows why you are here on earth, the call He has specifically put on your life, how you will fulfill it, and who will be surrounding you as you live it out. Take a look at your life… your role in the world, your contribution to society with the gifts, talents, and resources God has given you. Can’t you see God’s fingerprints all over it? If you can’t, don’t lose hope. God drew lines back then, and He can redraw lines today. In fact, sometimes we need to allow God permission to do so because the boundaries in our life get blurry, or we innocently lose sight of them. 

“When you know your why in life, your direction on living it out is much more secure, giving you a cheerful confidence and willing obedience.”

Letting God Redraw the Lines

Let’s start with Truth. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.” Your purpose has little to do with a how, and much more to do with why. God created you. God knows you. God loves you. God chose you and continues to choose you every single day. When you know your why in life, your direction on living it out (the how) is much more secure, giving you a cheerful confidence and willing obedience. Diving into your why allows God to draw and redraw the boundary lines. Let me say it a little more plainly, quit focusing on what God wants you to do in life, or wants from you, and instead focus everything you have on who He is and who He made you to be. Your why is to know God intimately; this releases your purpose. 

On my last birthday, a friend gave me a beautifully crafted sign that says, “Be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire.” I’m not my true self unless I’m staying connected to Jesus; He is my portion, He is my delightful inheritance. The joy is set before me, knowing that one day I will be with Him forever, it fuels me to live my life on earth for Him boldly, pointing others to Him because of what He did for me! This is how I set the world on fire.

Go back to the beginning of your God-story. Relish in the saving grace God mercifully extended to you. Why? Because Psalm 16:6 was a prophetic foretelling of why Jesus gave His life for you and me. He had in mind a why- eternity with you.

Love & Prayers, 
Haley