December 9, 2022

Advent Devotional December 9, 2022

Scripture

Psalm 16

1   Protect 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 holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
          in whom is all my delight.
4   Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
          their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
          or take their names upon my lips.
5   The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
          you hold my lot.
6   The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
          I have a goodly heritage.
7   I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
          in the night also my heart instructs me.
8   I keep the LORD always before me;
          because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9   Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
          my body also rests secure.
10  For you do not give me up to Sheol,
          or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11  You show me the path of life.
          In your presence there is fullness of joy;
          in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Devotional

Mark Russell, PTS Research and Instruction Librarian

On any given day, I could easily find dozens of things to worry about, and often do, whether it is falling behind at work, or the weird noise my car is making, or the increasing amount of money I need to spend to buy groceries. Sometimes the worrying itself creates more issues, and I “multiply my sorrows,” as the psalmist would say.

However, these anxieties are usually quieted, if not eliminated, by the mantra, “Everything is going to be okay.” Sometimes I have to say it to myself, and sometimes I need to hear it from someone else. God is present in that comforting reassurance, and in Psalm 16 we are enthusiastically assured that if we put our trust in God, everything will, in fact, turn out okay.

Better than okay, actually, as the phrases “fullness of joy,” and “pleasures forevermore” would indicate. While we may not ever occupy the magnificent metaphorical real estate where the psalmist resides, we can still aspire to a life in which we encounter the good more than the bad, and we can experience glad hearts, rejoicing souls, and secure bodies. In the light of Advent, these hopes seem all the more possible.

Prayer

God of life, keeper of our trust, we give thanks for your protection and comfort. With you as our hope and refuge, the challenges of our lives are more manageable, and the joys of your creation are more attainable. Amen.

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