“I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2).

That powerful statement can only be made in light of the rest of the psalm—and knowing the salvation that Jesus has won for us with his perfect life, innocent suffering and death, and his triumphant resurrection from the grave.

God did not abandon Jesus to the realm of the dead; he didn’t even let Jesus’ body see decay. Because Jesus lives, we as Christians know that by God’s amazing grace, death is not the end but merely the doorway to eternal life with God in heaven.

Keeping that promise from God in mind—fixing our attention on him and what he has done and will do for us—has a profound impact on how we see what God is doing for us right here and now.

What is God doing for us?

God is providing for our needs, both physical and spiritual. He’s sustaining and strengthening our faith through his Word and sacraments. He’s showering us with blessings and showing his love for us every day.

Do we always recognize those blessings? Do we always appreciate them for what they are—undeserved?

No. I certainly don’t.

It can be all too easy for me to ignore the incredible blessings my loved ones and I have been given… and instead focus on what undeserved blessings we haven’t been given.

It can be all too easy for me to fall into the trap that God provides me with spiritual blessings, but the physical, earthly blessings are things that I’ve earned for myself through hard work and my own efforts.

Maybe you can relate to those struggles.

David had it right when he wrote that beautiful confession quoted above:

“I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (Psalm 16:2).

As God’s children, everything we have and everything we are, by God’s grace, is from our heavenly Father. He is the source of all good things in our lives. Those blessings flow from the ultimate good he has done for us and the victory he won for us at the cross.

Without that victory, without our Savior-God, we have no good thing. But with him, we have every good thing; everything we need. Jesus is everything we need. Even if we have nothing else in this life, we have Jesus. Even more importantly, he has us.

Dear Christian, that incredible comfort helps us put everything into perspective—what we have; what we don’t have…through blessings and hardships, good times and bad, God is with us. He’s right here, and he isn’t going anywhere.

God does exactly as he promises in his Word. He keeps us safe and secure; he works all things for the spiritual good of his children; he gives us a delightful inheritance—freely out of his great love for us.

To paraphrase David in Psalm 16:9-11, our hearts are glad, and we rejoice—because Jesus lives! He is the path of life, and he will fill us with joy in his presence forevermore.

Thank you, God!

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