You Will Fill Me with Joy in Your Presence!

October 26, 2025

Scripture: Psalm 16

Bruce McIver tells the following story entitled, "Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Pastor. "From his hospital bed on the eve of open-heart surgery, Pastor Bruce McIver asked his cardiologist, Dr. Dudley Johnson, "Can you fix my heart?" The physician, known for being short and to the point, said, "Sure."  Then he quickly turned and walked away. Following the 12-hour surgery, McIver asked Johnson, "In light of the blocked arteries that I had when I checked into the hospital, how much blood supply do I now have?"  "All you'll ever need," replied the terse surgeon, who again ended the conversation by walking away. Upon his discharge from the hospital, McIver's wife, Lawanna, asked the doctor, "What about my husband's future quality of life?" The doctor paused and then said, "I fixed his heart; the quality of his life is up to him."

I believe most people desire a quality life. Believers in Christ want to experience the presence, the joy, the peace, the power of the Lord. Psalm 16 is about experiencing joy and pleasure in the Lord. Life can be very difficult at times. However, we learn from this Psalm that through the trials of life, we can have joy and peace in the Lord. We can have a quality life. The Psalmist identifies several qualities Let’s look.

Verse 1, Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.  David prays for safety as he trusts in God as his refuge.  These are the words of a person who has decided that the Lord will be number 1 in his life. 

What does it mean to find refuge in God? It means we have a place of physical, emotional and spiritual safety. We have a place to feel secure, to rest and recuperate. We have a place where we can experience true peace from the turmoil of the world. God’s refuge is a covering, a protection.

David might have been picking up the idea from Deuteronomy 33:27 where Moses wrote, The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

II Samuel 22:1-3 notes, David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me.

Verse 2, I said to the LORD, You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.  David decided and declared Yahweh as his personal Lord. 

Dr. S. D. Gordon tells of an old Christian woman whose age began to take a toll on her memory. She had once known numerous verses of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious verse stayed with her, II Timothy 1:12, That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.  As time went on, she lost more of that verse. She would quietly repeat, "He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him.  At last, as she hovered on the borderline between this and the spirit world, her loved ones noticed her lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything.  She was repeating over and over again to herself the one word of the text, "Him, Him, Him." She had lost the whole Bible, but one word. She held onto HIM!   

Brothers and sisters, when we come to the end of life’s road all that will matter is Him. Material things won’t mean a thing. Sports won’t mean a thing. All that matters will be Him. We begin with Him, and we end with Him.  It is all about HIM.  

David also wrote, verse 2, Apart from you, I have no good thing. Every good thing comes from God, and without God, all these things are meaningless. How true this is for us all! James 1:17, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of the heavenly lights. Good does not exist apart from the Lord.

When Yahweh becomes your Lord, you feel the goodness of the Lord. As D.A. Carson writes, "In comparison with knowledge of our Maker and Redeemer, nothing else is worth very much, whether in this life or in the life to come. Apart from the Lord, we have no good thing.” 

Principle 1: If you are going to have joy, peace, a quality life in this difficult world, then trust and find refuge in the Lord! Declare Him as your Lord!

Verse 3, As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. David’s joy in God is enhanced because he has delighted himself in the company of God’s people, whom he refers to as “saints” and glorious ones. These terms describe God’s people as whose character is excellent or noble. The idea is that we should delight in the company of God’s saints, growing together in holiness and love as together we find joy in God.

Who do people delight in today?  Often it is athletes, movie stars, or politicians. Who are the people we should view as models? Who should be our heroes?  It should be godly people in the land.  David, as a leader, saw godly people serving and helping others and as a result was pleased. 

When Yahweh becomes our Lord, we will feel the delight of being with other people who also have made the LORD their LORD. This is the delight of being in community with people who hold love the Lord and have similar values.

It has been said, Life gets difficult when we live it in isolation from one another.  A little girl once cried out in the night and woke her mother. She asked if she could get in bed with her mother. “What’s the matter?” the mother inquired. “It was dark in my room,” said the child. “Yes,” replied the mother, “but it’s just as dark in here.” “I know, Mother,” the little girl said, “but you’re here.” 

When my son, Aaron, was very young, a toddler, I picked up that he needed to feel secure. At night he would ask for a light to be on. Other times, Kathy would fall asleep with him. God has given parents the responsibility to fill a child’s love tank. Part of filling a child’s love tank is to make them feel loved and secure. When a child is young, a child is under a parent’s authority. When a child becomes of age, then hopefully that child will make the choice to be under God’s authority, to have Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior. One can then find refuge, feel secure in the LORD! Even when we get older, we still need others. God has created the Church to experience a quality of life.  

Some of the best times we experience in life are at the church, with the church, eating, laughing, praying, or singing. We should relish these times, look forward to them and promote them all we can! If we are going to have a dynamic, personal, abiding relationship with the LORD is first and foremost and then have a delight in the company of other believers. It is growing together in Christ, loving together as Christ would love, having a joy of the fellowship in the LORD!    

Scripture repeatedly instructs us to encourage and love one another like Christ would love us. This is the Apostle Paul’s hope as he writes in Philippians 2:1-4, Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 

One passage that I would hope everyone of you would take to heart is Colossians 3:12-15, Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Today, so many people are not valuing the joy of the fellowship. One reason is hurt people hurt people! When a person is emotionally or physically hurting, often they take it out on others. Sadly, many people don’t even know they are hurting. Others do not recognize their own sinfulness, temperament weaknesses and as a result don’t deal with it, such as anger, bitterness, stubbornness, fear, pride, laziness, etc. Some don’t want to put up with it or help that person mature in Christ. As a result, they leave. There are others who simply want his/her way to be done, which conflicts with somebody else’s desires. Another issue is that there are professing believers who want to compromise the Truth. They have their own priorities which are against God’s word. The Methodist denomination is going through that now. David notes the result of these people as he writes in verse 4, The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow. The Lord hates idolatry. Remember what happened to the Israelites who built the golden calf. 

Lack of emotional, spiritual maturity is causing conflict and destroying the Church. This is Satan’s desire! It must stop. We need to mature, forgive, speak the truth in love, watch what we say, put on a Christ-like LOVE!

Principle 2: Encourage, support, bear with each other, forgive, love one another! Hold onto Grace and Truth! Let’s build together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).

Verse 5, LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure (WEB).   

David recognized that various things in life were assigned by the LORD. They were not chosen. There are many things about our life we didn't get to choose: our parents, where we were born, our family ties, our looks, our talent, and our intellectual capacity. Those things were assigned to us. 

Imagine how David’s story would be if he was inclined to complain, blame and not accept responsibility.   What if he thought, maybe even said, "I was the little kid in my family; none of my older brothers respected me. When I was just a teenager, I was forced into battle with a vicious giant. I even had to pick up my own stones off the battlefield! I should not have had to fight that battle. The government let me down; they should have protected me. And then, the king tried to kill me, so I spent years on the run. And my best friend was taken away from me. And this woman, this temptress, seduced me and enticed me to commit murder. David could have then ended his saga by saying, "And eventually, my own son rebelled against me and tore my family apart. Oh, woe is me." 

Anyone's life can be a tale of tragedy, or a tale of victory. It depends on your perspective. Just like David, we have been assigned our portion and our cup.

Yet David came to realize that the Lord is His portion and cup that makes his life secure. Knowing the Lord made David’s life secure. David knew that no matter what, things were going to be good in knowing the LORD.   

Verse 6, The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. As David reflects on this and applies it to himself, his thought is that having the Lord as his portion is better than the best piece of land that anyone could inherit.

David had some very unpleasant memories and experiences. Yet, he was thankful and recognized them as being from the Lord. His successes were not just because of himself, but because God was with him!   

When you know the Lord, you have a delight, a joy! To have the LORD as your LORD is to always have enough, to be satisfied. What is your lot in life? Are you happy with it? The problem is: we often want more. We have unfulfilled expectations. We are not satisfied with our lot in life.  

Leaning on his fence one day, a devout Quaker was watching a new neighbor move in next door. After all kinds of modern appliances, electronic gadgets, plush furniture, and costly wall hangings had been carried in, the onlooker called over, "If you find you’re lacking anything, neighbor, let me know and I’ll show you how to live without it."  Somehow, we must learn to delight in the portion that God has given us. Sometimes He gives us more, sometimes less. Regardless of our cup, our portion, we are to do His will and be thankful, be content and look forward to our delightful inheritance, heaven.

Principle 3: If you want to have a quality life, a joy of life, then accept and process the trials, and recognize God’s blessings, His presence, and your inheritance of eternal life. 

Verse 7, I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

David gives praise and credit to the LORD!!  David treasured God and His word in his heart.  The Lord is the one who has counseled and instructed David. His instruction sustained him during the nights of difficulty and trials.

How does the Lord counsel us?  It is generally, through His Word.  His Spirit uses His Word to speak to our hearts. 

As a son left for his freshmen year at college, his parents gave him a Bible, assuring him it would be a great help. Later, as he began sending them letters asking for money, they would write back telling him to read his Bible, citing chapter and verse. He would reply that he was reading the Bible, but he still needed money. When he came home for a semester break, his parents told him they knew he had not been reading his Bible. How? They had tucked $10 and $20 bills by the verses they had cited in their letters.

The problem is that often people do not have real desire to know God or his word. There is no real commitment to trust and obey, to apply His principles into one’s life.  

May we have a desire to be a learner/a disciple of the Lord.  John Wanamaker lived from 1838 to 1922.  He owned department stores in Philadelphia and New York. He became a very wealthy man. He also served as Postmaster General (1889-1893) and the president of the YMCA (1870-1993. Yet, he noted that  it was at eleven years of age that he made his biggest purchase. In a little mission Sunday school, he bought from his teacher a small, red, leather Bible. The Bible cost him $2.75-which he paid in small installments as he saved. He writes, That was my greatest purchase, for that Bible made me what I am today." 

As we have a dynamic, personal, abiding relationship, as we treasure, praise His name, He gives us counsel and instruction.    

Verse 8, I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  

David again affirms his commitment to the Lord. David kept his mind so intently fixed upon the Lord. He knew the Lord was with him even in the various trials of life. As a result, he writes, I will not be shaken.  When the Lord becomes your Lord, you gain the sound confidence of knowing that the Lord has you and that there is nothing that can take away his presence in your life. You are safe in this life, and you are safe even in death. 

Verse 9, Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

Since the Lord is with him, he has a joyful heart and he says words of praise and thanksgiving.  He is sure that his body/his spirit are secure in the Lord. 

At a Thanksgiving service, a man dying of cancer asked if he could say a few words.  It was going to be his last Thanksgiving. He said to the group, "Do you want to hear my thanksgiving sermon?" We all said, "Sure, go ahead." This was his sermon: he said, "Thank you, God, for everything."

Verse 10, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  

David reflected on his life, talked about being secure even in death, and looked forward to an eternal inheritance. 

Then David makes this statement, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  Who is he referring to?  Is he referring to himself or the Messiah, who David knew would come after him?  I believe David is referring to the coming Messiah.  One reason I believe this is because the phrase, Holy One, regularly refers to the Lord in the Old Testament.  

Another reason is Peter and Paul both quoted from Ps 16:8-10 and tied this passage to the resurrection of Jesus. God raising Jesus from the dead.

Acts 2:24-28, But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him: I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Another reason why I believe David refers to the resurrected Jesus is what David writes in verse 11a. 
You have made known to me the path of life. The Lord revealed this about the Messiah to David.  The Lord made known the way of life. He knows God and he knows life. 

The Apostle Peter affirms this as he states in Acts 2:29-32, "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

David writes the rest of verse 11, you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

Eternal joy and pleasure in His presence are secure for those who trust in the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Principle 4: As you have the Lord as our Lord, as you abide in Him, as you know Him, you will praise Him for His wise counsel (v. 7); you will experience gladness and joy knowing His  presence and His security in the trials of life (vv. 8, 9); and you will experience eternal joy and pleasure in God’s presence (vv. 10, 11).

Let me close with these short parables told by Jesus from Matthew 13:44-46. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Jesus is the valuable treasure, the pearl of great value! So do whatever you have to gain the treasure, the pearl of great value and you will have the fullness of joy and pleasures forever in Him! (Note Philippians 3:7-11).  

Those who wholeheartedly trust in God’s loving-kindness are abundantly satisfied. Today, people are searching for something in life that will abundantly satisfy them. There is only one thing in this life that will truly satisfy the deep longings of our hearts – the presence of the living God. How about you?