"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6
"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup"
The Father of all creation, the One Who knows the ins and outs of all that could be assigned is the One in charge of assigning to me. And not only does He know what could be assigned, but also the "diet" my heart and mind need because He is also my Father both in the literal sense that He made me and also because I have accepted Christ and am therefore, His son (or daughter, whichever is more appropriate). Why then would I ever want to choose my own portion - I have not a blessed clue about anything out there except for the fact that my pen in black and that I enjoy coffee and tea! It is ridiculous to speculate and pine after something into which I have no access or hope of understanding (possibly) until eternity. But by then it will be too late. The time for trusting will be over. Conversely, the time for trusting is now and so I must choose:
Will I assign my own portion with little wit, comprehension or righteous of my own? Or will I allow the Lord to do what in His great love has already set out to do?
For I will have to fight against the flood of mercy that is already coming to me. If I decide to assign to myself, I will have to get out of that very river of grace and hope and joy and life that I somehow expect to access through my own independent choosing. I will have to push away what is offered because all good things flow naturally from Him. I will "push away the fruit offered and reach for another fruit*".
Or I can delight in that river of grace, knowing I will be made stronger in its crimson flow and that I won't have to push anything away. He is good and He has already shown that He a is good Assigner.
Even Christ received glory through taking the portion and cup assigned to Him. Why would I assume or prefer any other option? And though His and mine come with pain (although mine is infinitely less severe) - that is inevitable - it doesn't mean the joy is lessened. In fact, joy increases because something that keeps telling us to get out of the grace-river - something inside us - dies with each time we say, "Father, you assign." It hurts, but it is worth it and eventually, on that great morning, it won't hurt any more and our Real Portion will be revealed in Christ. And we will join the psalmist in saying, "Surely I have a delightful inheritance" because we will see how strong and beautiful He is.
*see Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
