Psalm 16:1   
Positivity
     This beautiful Psalm of David describes the blessings of the righteous, their confidence, security and all-encompassing sense of well-being. Here David’s heart is full, he knows that he is safe, that all good things come from the Lord at all times and in all places, and his response is simply joy and thanksgiving. He spares one verse (4) for those who “run after other gods”, but the main point of the Psalm is to reinforce the happy state of mind of those who worship the true God, whose spirits are at rest in the comforting presence of the Lord.  What can the Satan or the world offer that remotely compares to this? We all need these times of reflection, of thanksgiving, when we weigh up our blessings and lay down our woes. This is not possible for human beings unless they have full confidence and trust in the Lord, no one or no thing can compare with Him. 

The “power of positivity” is a much-vaunted phrase from the so-called wise of this world.  It sounds convincing, but where do we go for our positive inspiration? “Look within yourselves,” they say, “Look at the good in the world, look at the good in others, don’t let yourself be swayed by negatives.” That may well be beyond possibility for some people and anyway, there is a better way! The righteous can take a Psalm like this and look above, to the heavens where Almighty God dwells, they can look around and see evidence of His blessings and His works; as David says in v8, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Our positivity comes not from self-help but from an immense, amazing, all powerful deity who loves us to bits. Hallelujah!

V1                    David knows that the storms of life still rage around him, that even if he experiences a brief lull, it will not be long before the winds of oppression howl again and the angry seas of opposition get rough. The demons of hell never cease in their war mongering, we are always susceptible to attack. If life were all “plain sailing” and there were no storms we would never need to turn to the Lord for safety and refuge. The Lord is our port in the storm, He can be trusted even if our boat is tossed around far away from land, for we can take refuge in God, He will keep us safe. It’s good to know that, even better to say it – out loud, “You keep me safe, my God, in You I take refuge.” This is true positive thinking, to reach out to our wonderful, divine Father and plead for His help and protection

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