In Psalm 16, the psalmist asked for God’s protection and guidance. In exuberant, even hyperbolic poetic words, the psalmist said God’s protection would see him through even life-threatening challenges. In Acts 2:25-28, Peter pointed to David’s tomb in Jerusalem, and said only the risen Jesus had fully received the divine promise of deliverance from the grave. (In Acts 13:35, Paul also used this Psalm to reinforce his preaching of Jesus.)

• We celebrated Easter on April 20. We remembered again that Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live too” (John 14:19). In Frederick Buechner’s phrase, “the worst thing is never the last thing.” Have you personally claimed the Easter faith, incorporating the promise that “you won’t abandon my life to the grave” into every day of your walk with God?
• Psalm 16 began, “Protect me, God.” For the psalmist, as for most of us, those words first speak of safety from physical harm. Could martyrs like the apostle Paul, or Jesus himself, pray “Protect me, God”? What are some key ways besides physical well-being that God protects you?