Thank You, I Have No Other Good Thing
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord , “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
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.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.’
Psalms 16:1–6 ESV Read More
There is a prayer of desperation and loss that says to the Lord “I have no good apart from you,” but then there is also a sweet place of contentment and realization that says the same thing.
Savoring all of the goodness of life and seeing that every moment is a gift from God affects every part of our lives. Thankfulness comes through in the simple joy of being thankful, but also in the way we care for and treat others. If I draw my identity from putting others down, I’m going to meditate on their hardships and talk about what they did wrong.
If I draw my identity from what God has done, if I know who I am because I know who God is and what covenanted, sealed, irrevocable relationship we are in, I no longer draw pleasure and joy from talking about those that ‘run after another god.’ Paul said in Ephesians 5:12: ‘It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.’ Think about that! Our thankfulness and gratitude toward God can turn so white-hot that talking about sinners and their sins becomes shameful. Don’t read that as embarrassment shame, but read it as “It’s a shame you would talk about that, considering all fo the glory of God that we can talk about instead.”
We have access to unending beauty and joy, but like a kid making mud pies while the family roadster waits to leave for Disneyland, we too often want to talk about the ungodly and their sinful escapades.
Let us tell Him over and over again, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you. Thank you!”
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