“You make known to me the path of life. In your presence, there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
– Psalm 16:11
Oh, Psalm 16 is one of my favorite psalms. I feel like I can do a Pray The Word on every verse here. I couldn’t get out of Psalm 16 without thinking about and praying according to Psalm 16:11. We saw in Psalm 16:7 how we bless the Lord who gives us council, and the night also, he instructs our hearts, which leads down to the very last verse in the chapter, “You make known to me the path of life.”
God’s plan for your life involves fullness of joy in His presence and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Again, God does not hide his will from us. God leads and guides us according to his will. He wants his will to be accomplished in our lives, more than even we do. He makes known to us the path of life, but don’t miss the connection here. The path of life involves walking in the presence of God. In your presence, there is fullness of joy. That’s the path of life. Being in the presence of God and enjoying the presence of God. Fullness of joy.
Walking With God Brings Us Joy
Let this soak in. God’s plan for your life involves fullness of joy in his presence. Oh, let me say that again. God’s plan for your life involves fullness of joy in His presence. Walking with Him, enjoying Him. In the last phrase of this Psalm, “At your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Just picture it. His right hand is full of pleasures, and you take some of those pleasures, and there’s more. Take some of those pleasures, there’s more. Take some of those pleasures, there’s more. It will be forever. There is infinite pleasure to be found in God.
This is a life worth living. This is a path worth following. This just causes me to pray oh God, help me to walk in your path. Lord, help me to follow your ways. I pray for this in my life, I pray for those who are listening right now. God, please, council us. Please instruct our hearts in the night. Please make known to us the path of life today, and we know that life is found in sensitivity to your spirit. We know that life is found in your presence. We know that life is found in constantly realizing that you are with us, that you are leading us, that you are guiding us, that you are directing us, and in your presence, we find fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11 Praises God For The Joy He Brings Us
Oh God. Even amidst difficult circumstances, we look to you and we find joy that supersedes circumstances. We find hope that supersedes circumstances. Love that transcends circumstances. In your presence, with you, there is never-ending joy and never-ending, forever pleasure at your right hand.
Oh God. We praise you, for this kind of life, saved from sin, restored to you, in your presence where there’s fullness of joy, where we’re just able to take and eat. Take and enjoy, from your right hand, pleasures forever and ever and ever. Oh God, lead us in this path of life today. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
