Delighting in God's Presence

Everyone wants joy, but not everyone knows where to find it.

Earlier this week, I learned of the passing of one of the most joyful people I know.  Pastor Jack Zuch died at the age of 104.  Every summer he would visit our church, enjoy worshipping with us, and offer me a word of encouragement in the process.  He would also impress me with his memory and his ability to tell jokes that were pages in length.

As I’ve been talking about him with others who knew and loved him, I have repeatedly heard similar testimonies that attest to his sincere joy and love for the Lord and the Lord’s people.

Most people are attempting to find joy, but I don’t think they really understand what they’re looking for.  Real joy is a sincere contentment in Christ regardless of our circumstances.  Happiness isn’t the same as joy.  Happiness is dependent on what’s going on around us.  I’m not opposed to being happy, but if I had to pick between happiness and joy, I’d select joy every time.

Earthly happiness is real, but it’s limited. It changes and fades. Earthly happiness can be lost. Even the best experiences eventually come to an end.

Psalm 16 points us toward a joy that isn’t dependent on perfect circumstances. It’s a psalm that was written by King David, and it shows us that true and lasting joy is found in the presence of God.

He begins with a prayer:

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” (Psalm 16:1)

David knew what it was like to experience danger, opposition, uncertainty, and loss. His life wasn’t sheltered from hardship. He faced enemies, betrayal, family conflict, national instability, and seasons when the future seemed unclear.

Yet David’s first response was to turn toward God. He didn’t claim that he could protect himself. He didn’t boast in his own strength or wisdom. He prayed, “Preserve me, O God.” That prayer reveals dependence.

David understood that God wasn’t just an addition to his life. God was his refuge. A refuge is a place of safety, security, and protection. When the world around David felt unstable, he rested in the unchanging character of God.

This is one of the first ways we learn to enjoy God. We come to Him honestly and trust Him completely.

We don’t have to pretend we’re strong when we’re tired. We don’t have to hide our fears. We don’t have to act as though we have every answer. We can bring our concerns to the Lord because He welcomes His people into His presence.

David continues:

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

This is one of the central declarations of the psalm.

“I have no good apart from you.”

David isn’t saying that nothing in creation is good. Scripture repeatedly teaches that God gives good gifts. David is saying that every true good finds its source in God. Nothing is good independently of Him, and no gift can replace the Giver.

God isn’t one blessing among many. He is the source of every blessing.

This changes the way we receive the good things in our lives. Instead of worshiping the gifts, we allow them to direct our hearts toward the One who gave them. A meal becomes a reminder of God’s provision. Friendship becomes a reminder of His kindness. Rest becomes a reminder that we are creatures who depend on Him. Beauty becomes a sign of His creativity.

Every good gift can become an occasion for worship when we trace it back to God. But David goes further. He doesn’t just praise God for what God gives. He delights in God Himself.

This is essential to understanding what it means to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We don’t glorify God simply by thanking Him for improving our circumstances. We glorify Him by recognizing that He is better than every circumstance.

The human heart often tries to reverse this order. We may value God mainly because of what we hope He’ll do for us. We may pray because we want relief, attend church because we want encouragement, or obey because we hope life will become easier.

God certainly cares about our needs, but He offers us something greater than temporary relief. He gives us Himself. 

David then contrasts the faithfulness of God’s people with the sorrow of those who pursue other gods:

“The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.”(Psalm 16:4)

Idolatry always promises more than it can deliver.

An idol is anything we trust, love, or desire more than God. In David’s day, idols were often visible objects associated with false religions. In our day, they’re often less obvious.

Success can become an idol. Comfort can become an idol. Approval can become an idol. Family can become an idol. Ministry can become an idol.

As odd as it may sound, even something like home improvement can become an idol.  We’ve spent all summer making long-waited updates to our home, but sometimes I have to step back and say, “Why do I care so much about all of this?”

What I’m saying is that even good things become spiritually destructive when we ask them to give us identity, security, or ultimate joy.

David says that the sorrows of those who run after other gods will multiply. This doesn’t mean every unbeliever is constantly miserable or that every believer always feels happy. It means that nothing apart from God can satisfy the soul for which it wasn’t designed.

We were created by God and for God. When we try to build our lives around something lesser, frustration eventually follows.

A career can give purpose for a season, but it can’t carry the full weight of your identity. A relationship can bring companionship, but it can’t save your soul. Money can provide options, but it can’t guarantee peace. Human approval may feel rewarding, but it can disappear quickly.

Only God is able to hold the central place in our lives without failing us.

David declares:

“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.”
(Psalm 16:5)

In the Old Testament, a portion often referred to an inheritance or allotted possession. David uses this language to say that God Himself is his greatest inheritance.

He isn’t only grateful for the land, position, or blessings God has given him. He says, in effect, “The Lord is what I treasure most.”

This points us toward an important spiritual question: Would we still consider God good if some of His gifts were removed? 

That question can be difficult because loss is painful. Scripture never asks us to treat grief lightly. David himself cried, mourned, and lamented. Yet beneath his changing emotions was a deep conviction that God was still his portion.

When circumstances change, God doesn’t. When people disappoint us, God remains faithful. When plans fall apart, God’s purposes continue. When our strength fails, His grace remains sufficient.

David adds, “You hold my lot.” He trusts that his future is in God’s hands. He doesn’t know every detail of what will happen, but he knows who governs his life.

That confidence allows him to say:

“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6)

David isn’t claiming that every part of his life is easy. He’s speaking from the perspective of faith. Because God is his portion, his inheritance is secure.

Believers can say the same thing through Jesus Christ.

In Christ, we’ve received an inheritance that can’t be taken away. We’ve been forgiven, adopted, reconciled to God, and given eternal life. We belong to a kingdom that can’t be shaken.

Our present circumstances may not always feel pleasant, but our eternal inheritance is secure because it rests on the finished work of Jesus.

David continues:

“I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” (Psalm 16:7)

God’s presence brings not only joy but wisdom.

David had learned to seek God’s counsel. He didn’t only want to feel comforted by God. He wanted to be led by Him.

This is an important part of enjoying God. True fellowship with Him includes listening to His Word and allowing His truth to shape our choices.

We often want God’s comfort without His correction. We want reassurance without surrender. But God loves us too much to leave us unchanged.

Through Scripture, He renews our thinking, confronts our sin, redirects our desires, and teaches us how to live. His counsel isn’t meant to restrict our joy. It leads us toward the life we were created to live.

Jesus said:

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10–11)

Jesus connects obedience with joy.

God’s commands are not barriers to happiness. They protect us from paths that lead to destruction and guide us toward fellowship with Him.

David then makes one of the strongest statements in the psalm:

“I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8)

To set the Lord before us means to live with a conscious awareness of His presence. David trained his heart to remember that God was near.

This doesn’t mean David always felt emotionally strong. Faith isn’t the denial of fear or sadness. It’s the decision to interpret life through the reality of God’s presence.

The Lord was at David’s right hand, the place of support and strength. Because God was near, David believed he wouldn’t ultimately be shaken.

We need this same awareness.

It’s easy to move through the day as though everything depends on us. We carry responsibilities, deadlines, concerns, and decisions. Before long, anxiety can take control because we’ve forgotten that we aren’t facing life alone.

God’s presence changes the way we carry our responsibilities.

We still work faithfully, but we don’t work as though we’re abandoned. We still make decisions, but we seek His wisdom. We still face hardship, but we know He’s with us. We still grieve, but not without hope.

David writes:

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” (Psalm 16:9)

Notice the word “therefore.”

David’s gladness is connected to what he believes about God. His joy isn’t shallow optimism. It’s rooted in the Lord’s presence, faithfulness, and protection.

Biblical joy can coexist with sorrow. A Christian can weep and still have joy. A Christian can feel discouraged and still have hope. A Christian can experience grief while remaining confident in God.

Joy isn’t always an intense emotion. Sometimes it’s a steady assurance beneath the surface. It’s the conviction that Christ is present, God is faithful, sin has been defeated, and eternity is secure.

David’s confidence becomes even stronger:

“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)

This verse points beyond David.

In Acts 2, Peter quotes Psalm 16 and explains that David was speaking prophetically about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. David eventually died, and his body experienced decay. Jesus, however, was raised from the dead.

Peter declared:

“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)

Psalm 16 finds its fullest meaning in Christ.

Jesus is the true Holy One who wasn’t abandoned to the grave. He entered death, bore the penalty for sin, and rose victorious.

The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christian joy.

Without the resurrection, our joy would be temporary. Death would eventually take everything from us. But because Jesus lives, those who belong to Him will also live.

Christ transforms the way we understand God’s presence. Through His death, the barrier of sin has been removed. Through His resurrection, eternal life has been secured. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present with His people.

We don’t have to earn access to God. Jesus opened the way.

We don’t have to fear condemnation. Jesus bore our judgment.

We don’t have to fear abandonment. Jesus promised to be with us always.

We don’t have to view death as the end. Jesus has conquered the grave.

David closes with words that summarize the entire psalm:

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”(Psalm 16:11)

I have a portion of this verse hanging in my living room.  Some of you have seen it.  It’s a reminder to me that God makes known the path of life and true joy is found in living close to Him.

Jesus later said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Christ doesn’t just show us the path. He is the path. Through Him, we’re reconciled to the Father and welcomed into eternal fellowship with God.

David doesn’t say that God’s presence offers a small amount of joy.

He says there is fullness of joy. Not partial joy or temporary joy. Fullness of joy.

He also speaks of “pleasures forevermore.” The pleasures of this world are brief, but the joy God gives is eternal. In His coming kingdom, His people will live in His presence without sin, sorrow, pain, or death.

We’ll see the face of Christ. We’ll worship without distraction. We’ll serve without exhaustion. We’ll enjoy fellowship without conflict. We’ll experience joy without fear that it will be taken away.

This is what we were created for.

We were created to glorify God, and we glorify Him by finding our highest joy in Him. When we treasure God above His gifts, trust Him through hardship, obey His Word, and rest in the resurrection of Christ, our lives declare that He is worthy.

The world tells us to look within ourselves for happiness. Scripture invites us to look to Christ.

The world tells us to gather as much as possible. Scripture reminds us that the Lord Himself is our portion.

The world tells us to avoid every hardship. Scripture teaches us that even in hardship, God remains near.

The world offers temporary pleasure. Jesus gives eternal life.

True joy isn’t found in controlling every circumstance. It’s found in knowing that Christ is present in every circumstance.

The goal of the Christian life isn’t to chase a constant emotional high. It’s to grow in fellowship with God, to recognize His goodness, to trust His promises, and to delight in His Son.

As we do, we begin to understand the words of Psalm 16 more fully.

God is our refuge. God is our portion. God is our counselor. God is our security. God is our joy.

And through Jesus Christ, we can enjoy His presence now and forever.

© John Stange, 2026