Lines

Pollen lines after rain

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalms 16:5-8)

In this morning's sermon, our pastor preached on the ideas of security and safety. Security companies can sell you a security system, but they can't guarantee your safety. You can take measures to stay healthy, but no one can guarantee your health, or even that you'll be alive tomorrow. You can do whatever it takes to "make your lot secure," but your personal safety and security cannot be guaranteed.

This is one reason these verses from the psalms are so comforting. Maybe my safety and security can't be certain, but my security in Christ is unshakable. Note that I didn't say my happiness, or my sense of peace, or even my faith--those have all wavered, sometimes violently at times. For a long time I had none of those. But HE is unshakeable, and my security in him can't be destroyed, not even by death.

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." This figurative language is alluding to how, at the time, portions of land were measured by line and generally distributed by lot. Your portion was determined by where the lines fell. How fortunate we are that this portion, this "delightful inheritance," is available to all who will receive it!

And how delightful it is indeed to rest in the security of this portion, where we're guided by the counsel and instruction of God!

Today's photo has nothing to do with my little reflection above, or the verses preceding it. But I've liked this "lines" picture ever since I took it. We had a heavy pollen season in Georgia this year (as usual), and a spring rain had driven a lot of the pollen into the gutters, where they floated along and finally settled on either side of the current. I took this picture a couple of days after the rain.