“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”   Psalms‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are three promises in this one verse.

1. God has a path for my life. How wonderful to be reminded that not only is He leading me, but He will be with me in every new place.

2. When I am in His presence, I will find fullness of joy — not necessarily happiness, but joy — the joy of knowing God is with me. When I am filled with God’s joy, there is no room for fear or worry. Strength, peace and the confidence that God is always with me are some of the benefits of being in His presence.

3. The third promise is for “pleasures forever”. What stands out to me is the amazing generosity of God, and He welcomes us to be close to Him, within reach not just for a day but forever. The NIV translation says, eternal pleasures”. This pleasure is not fleeting but will be with me in this life and the next.

Even with these promises, distractions can keep me from God’s best path. A distraction can appear when I settle for something good and don’t wait for God to lead me to His best.

Some relationships, decisions, or my attitude can compromise God’s best for me.

Undercurrents of jealousy, bitterness, resentment, or anger are big distractions. Each one of these obstacles slows the progress of my journey. However, when I focus on God’s leading, pay attention and persevere, the Lord helps me not to stumble and enables me to continue my journey on the path of life.

Daily, I look to follow God because I know when I am on His path, I will be in His presence and filled with joy (even if I am not happy). His joy gives me confidence and strength. On this journey, I daily discover God’s presence, and even into eternity. The promise of Psalm 16:11fills me with excitement and purpose. It motivates me to keep walking with God on His path on the great adventure of life. I pray it will do the same for you.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Lisa Robertson, author of The Path of Life.
 

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Would you describe your walk with God as full of joy? With pleasures forevermore? What might be distracting you from His path for you? What do you need to set aside to focus on Him?