Is Life Good?

 I have to believe that most, if not all of you, have seen these great t-shirts with the above logo.  I own one that pictures a fella going kayaking.  I genuinely enjoy wearing it because it reminds me of great times I've had boating various rivers & creeks.  Indeed life is good...or is it?

You may or may not be familiar with the competing brand of t-shirt that highlights the fact that indeed life can just plain stink sometimes.  So which is it?  Which t-shirt would you be wearing today?

• Is the answer to that question merely a matter of your life's circumstances in any given moment?  Any honest reflection would indicate that some people life's circumstances are good, while for others, life's circumstances stink.  
  
• Is your choice of wearing either t-shirt merely a matter of your life's circumstances? 

"I say to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'"  Psalm 16:2

What does Scripture have to say in answer to this question?  More specifically what might David (the writer of Psalm 16) have to say?  We know of David's life, as described in the books I & II Samuel, as a life filled with moments of greatness as well as sorrow and tragedy.  Just to review very briefly.

1. He began as the youngest son stuck doing the dirty work of a shepherd.
2. Then he was anointed to be King of Israel.
3. He defeated Goliath and became Israel's champion.
4. Then because of King Saul's hatred of him, David was forced to flee.
5. King Saul hunted him mercilessly. 
6. He lived as an outcast for years, his life in constant danger.
7. Eventually, after King Saul died, he became King of Israel.
8. He fell into the sins of adultery and murder.
9. He repented of his sins.
10. His own son, Absalom, betrayed him and led a rebellion against David's reign.
11. He lost his throne and was an outcast again, his life hunted again.
12. He led a counter rebellion and was restored to the throne, but in the process Absalom was murdered by a friend.
13. He died knowing another son, Solomon would succeed him as king.

We don't know when David might have penned the words of Psalm 16, but we can be reasonably sure that it was not in a time of great triumph.  The Psalm opens, "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge."  David was asking for God's protection.  He was seeking refuge from trouble, difficulty, hardship.  So which t-shirt would David have been wearing when writing this Psalm?  Any guesses?  Let's look into the rest of the Psalm to find out.

  Verse 2:  David declares his loyalty to God regardless of life's circumstances.  He says that he has no good apart from God.  Indeed EVERY good gift, EVERY good thing in our lives is a result of God's goodness and grace (see James 1:17).  Take a moment to reflect upon the many good things God has given you.  No matter how tough life is right now there are numerous good things for which you can be thankful to God.

Verse 8:  Our circumstances stare us in the face.  They are impossible to ignore and they affect us greatly, but look at what David does in order to put his immediate hardships into proper perspective.  "I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." David sees his hard circumstances in view of who God is.  God is bigger than any difficulty we may face.  As a result David can proclaim his feelings of security and peace...saying he will not be shaken. God is good.

Verse 9: Because God is with him notice how David's heart feels.  "Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure."  In spite of the storm of life's events swirling around David, his heart is joyful and he feels secure.  Wow!! How in the world can we find this same joy and security?

Verse 11:  I think if we were to ask David that question he might point us to verse 11.  It says, "In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  The key to David's joy and security is knowing God and seeking His presence.  We have been given the incredible gifts of Scripture and prayer as means to enter God's presence. Have you sought God's presence? 

So which t-shirt do you think David would wear?  Which t-shirt best reflects the state of your heart?  How might you seek to be a man or woman who can say as David did, "[Jesus] You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Whether the circumstances of your life are good or bad, knowing Christ as Lord of our life gives us reason to say "LIFE IS GOOD".