What is one cause of mild depression? I’m not talking about serious, long-term depression, where one might need to be hospitalized, but instead mild depression that many feel every now and again. One cause could be dissatisfaction, the feeling of discontent, not being satisfied with one’s life and circumstances. One may be dissatisfied with their job, their house, their spouse, etc. Our psalm for today is one we can meditate on to help us break free from such feelings of discontentment.
Psalm 16 was written by David. He is someone who experienced both high points and low points in his life. He had spent his youth watching sheep and probably sleeping outdoors. A shepherd was a lowly position. Later he became king, living in a grand palace. David had low points when he had to live on the run from both King Saul, and later from his own son Absalom. He also had high points, such as when he had victory over Goliath and other battles, and making all the plans for the Temple. During his low times, he learned what to do to keep from being discontent and dissatisfied with his life at the time.
David learned through his experiences that our peace does not depend on our present situation (vs. 2). Yahweh is Lord. We have no good beyond and apart from Him. He is our highest and only good. We can be content, no matter our circumstance, when we draw our ultimate satisfaction from God. Our well-being is entirely dependent on Him. When all we have is God, we have all we need.
Some people who easily get discontent and dissatisfied with their life think that life is determined by fate or chance. They feel that life is a gamble. Pagan culture at the time believed their gods were often bloodthirsty, and often massacred their worshipers (vs. 4). Yahweh is not like that. The Lord holds our future in His hands with love (vs. 5-6). In Jesus we have a beautiful inheritance. Life is no gamble, it is a gift from God.
Unbelievers have a sense of hopelessness about life, and confusion over their true purpose on earth. Believers can move ahead confidently with what we know is right and important to God (vs. 7-8). He will keep us on His chosen path. By continually thinking about the Lord and His way of living, we will gain insights that will help us make right decisions, and live the way He desires. When God is our focus, it is easier for us to hear Him when He speaks. Listening to God is essential to walking with Him.
True joy is deeper than happiness. We can have joy in spite of any troubling circumstances we are in, rather than falling into periods of discontent and dissatisfaction (vs. 9). Happiness is dependent upon our circumstances. When our circumstances and life are going well, we are happy. When they aren’t, happiness disappears. However, joy depends on God, and we can have joy no matter what is going on around us.
As Psalm 16 draws to a close, David gives a prophecy concerning the Messiah, and the resurrection. He prophesied how the Messiah would not undergo corruption when He died, but instead, would rise again (vs. 10). This is an important prophecy about the resurrection, which was quoted by Peter in Acts 2:27, at the Apostle’s first sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Since David died, and his body decayed and saw corruption, it had to apply to the Messiah, Jesus, who rose from the dead (Acts 2:25-36). Jesus saw no corruption in the grave. He atoned for all sin, and there is no doubt that He was raised from the dead.
So how can we lose dissatisfaction and discontent in our lives? David shows us that it is by following God’s path through life (vs. 11). We find that in God’s Word, where He clearly shows us the paths that we should take in our life. When we do we will have fullness of joy.
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