"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (Psalm 16:6, NIV)
On the continuum of the sovereignty of God versus man's free will, I tend to fall somewhere in the middle: God is certainly sovereign over His creation and that which occurs within it, but He has also created man with free will and agency to act, react, and choose.
However, the Bible is clear that, in the larger sense, God is the determiner of each person's lot in life: From the nation and time in history into which they were born, to their personality, talents and abilities, proclivities, and so on. I also believe this extends to the privileges they enjoy, the responsibilities they bear, and the nature of their creation and calling. This is big-picture stuff: Human beings are, after all, image-bearers of God, and therefore significant in the grand scheme of His plan and purposes. (O glorious and astounding truth!)
Lately I have been thinking about the verse quoted above, in light of these things: The boundaries around me and my life--that my purpose, my gifts, my responsibilities, and even the challenges and hardships I face--have been ordained of the Lord. He has determined my lot in life: Everything I have been given, as well as that which I have not been given. Sure, my free will to act, react, and choose comes into play, but in the larger and more-general sense these boundaries are a fact: "The boundary lines have fallen for me." They have been set in place by God.
But what about the second part of that verse? Those boundary lines have fallen for me "in pleasant places." O dear reader, here is where God's sovereignty and our free will intersect!
To say about those boundaries that they have fallen for me in pleasant places is a matter of my own heart and attitude. In other words, I have a choice to make: I can resent them and bemoan them; I can long to be free of them--to see them as something from which I must escape; I can fret over them and beg God to change them; I can compare them to the boundaries He has set for others and lament that they have it so much better than me.
Or I can say of them, "They are pleasant." I can count them as the blessing and providence of the Lord for my good...and be thankful for them. Yes, even when they're hard, or they're not what I would have chosen for myself. I can choose to say of them, "Surely I have a delightful inheritance."
True for me...true for you, Dear Reader, because of what the Scriptures tell us about the character and nature of this God who has determined the boundaries of our lives: He loves us. He is full of mercy and grace. He is faithful. He knows everything. He is good. And His plans for us are good--He causes "all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes" (Romans 8:28).
That last statement is neither light nor cursory; rather, it is weighty and glorious! It is also not a blanket promise which applies to everyone, free of caveat: No, to be called "according to His purposes" is to surrender one's life to His will through faith in Jesus Christ--"He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:34-35)
Yes, the boundary lines have fallen, for those in Christ--God's people--in pleasant places! Surely we have a delightful inheritance in Christ, who ushers us into a new way of being alive, teaches us a new way of living, and graces us with the privilege of living that new life together with others who have likewise come to faith in Him! Dear Reader, the most important question to be answered for yourself is this: Are you in Christ?
Father, thank you for the incredible gift of the boundary lines You have set in our lives--and for the incredible offer of new life in Christ! Help us to have Your perspective on our lives. Make us ever mindful that what You have determined for us is for our good, and that everything we have--every last thing--is a trophy of Your grace and providence. May we be thankful for the pleasant boundaries and delightful inheritance you have ordained. Amen!
Word in Faith is a collaboration of Wayne Association of Congregations and Ministers (WACAM), an organization partially funded by the Wayne Community Chest.
