by Marilyn Ehle
“I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2
It only takes one trip to a country where starving children with bloated bellies are commonplace, where germ-free water is non-existent or where death-by-AIDS is the rule rather than the exception to confess that I have a good life. If I walk through crowded city streets here in my own country, I can find innumerable fatherless families, children going to school without breakfast, and teenagers choosing drugs and crime as the path to success.
While I would not be considered wealthy by many in my city, my list of good things is long: my home is warm, the ingredients for many meals sit on cupboard shelves, I have free access to books, education and places of worship.
But where is God on my Good Things List?
It is likely that when David wrote the words above, he was king, but in difficult circumstances. Could it be that those circumstances forced him to utter the words with a whine in his voice? “Absolutely nothing is going right for me. God, you are about the only good thing left for me. Poor me.”
However, as I read on, I find words that make me believe David was not whimpering, but rather victoriously proclaiming that—in the midst of life’s circumstances, whether in want or plenty—God was Number One. He says, “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure… I will praise the Lord… I keep my eyes always on the Lord… My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices…”
Whether in circumstances where my Good Things List seems small, or during times when the list could go on forever, I declare: apart from God, I have no good thing.
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