Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.

I said the LORD, “You are my Master! I have nothing good except for You.

The saints who are in the earth are the majestic ones. I delight in them.

Troubles multiple for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood, or even speak the names of their gods.

The LORD is my share of the inheritance. He is my cup of blessing. You support and defend my allocation. The boundary lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

I will bless the LORD who counsels me. My inner man (lit. kidneys) instructs me in the night. I have set the LORD continually before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and I rejoice throughout my whole being. Joy shoots out the end of my fingers and toes. I cannot keep it in. My body dwells in safety.

For you will not abandon me to the grave. You will not allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16

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God gives boundaries. They are a gift. Without them we would face insecurity, lack of identity, vulnerability, and lack of peace.

There is something about human nature that needs to know: where does one place end and another begin? Good fences make good neighbors, literally and figuratively.

It starts with infancy. An infant feels secure, comforted and soothed by being snuggled and held close. New parents learn the trick of swaddling, to bind the arms close to the body, to mimic that feeling when the baby is not being held. Some have even learned the trick of gently holding the forearm closed against the upper arm, to create that safe sensation.

Pets and other animals are similar. They like dens, caves, even crates, especially when sleeping or threatened.

As we grow to adulthood, this underlying desire for boundaries becomes more complex and extends into multiple facets. Which group are we in? Not in? It defines our identity. What is our family group? Our friendship circle? Our racial and religious community? Where do we belong? It becomes important to understand who is a member of the community, and to affirm our membership status. “Members Only” feels good when I am a member.

We like physical boundaries. We have lot lines, often physically marked with fences or other markers. We lock doors and fences, and decide who has keys. We have offices, desks and work spaces. Our cars become our personal space.

We define our time: work, recreation, social, rest, personal, alone. We keep track of these boundaries with calendars, clocks and deadlines.

We keep track of money and possessions. Who is the owner? Who has signature authority? Who has the password?

Boundaries are good. Actually, they are essential. They are absolutely necessary for definition and order. Without them there would be chaos.

Boundaries provide security. I am able to exclude. It gives me a sense of safety and control. Without boundaries I would feel vulnerable and unsafe.

Boundaries are essential for healthy relationships. Even in close relationships, I need to know where my needs, desires, will, emotions and identity end, and another person’s begin. Sympathy (to feel about another person), empathy (to understand and share another’s feelings) and compassion (to be moved to action to meet another person’s needs) are all beautiful exercises of God’s grace through me. But there is a point where I can risk confusing my existence with someone else’s. No one is benefited from that. The techniques I learned to be a lifeguard included how not to let the victim drown me, and make us both victims. There is a healthy separateness, even in reaching out to another person.

Boundaries limit me. There are places I cannot go, people I cannot be with, things I cannot possess, activities I cannot do, and cars I cannot drive. I will probably never play in the NBA. These limits may frustrate me. I usually do not want my will impeded.

David wrote that the boundaries had fallen to him in pleasant places. His physical space, the scope his responsibilities, the circle of his relationships (“space” “scope” “circle:” these all imply the nature and existence of boundaries) were good to him.

David’s declaration followed his statement that “the LORD is the share of my inheritance.” David understood that it was not only that God have given to David and defined for David his territory, the LORD Himself was David’s territory. God was David’s cup of blessing. No wonder the boundaries were pleasant. They encompassed God in David’s territory.

The Apostle Paul also got this. He could write that in whatever circumstance, abundance or lack, he could rejoice, because he had learned the secret of contentment. Paul had already exchanged the power and prestige of being a prominent Rabbi and Pharisee for itinerant ministry dependent on his own tent making for support. He welcomed being bound (how’s that for a boundary) and imprisoned. No matter, because, Paul wrote, the gospel was not imprisoned. And neither really was Paul. His circumstances were dire, severely constrained. But his ministry was boundless, with his writings forming the bulk of Christian doctrine to this day. Surely Paul understood that his allotment, his inheritance, was not the few square meters enclosed by his imprisonment, but was Jesus Himself.

Contentment, more than that, sheer joy, flows from knowing what is truly mine, that is, Who is truly mine. Surely, most surely, I exclaim with David, the boundaries have fallen to me in extremely pleasant places.

LORD, in every circumstance, facing every limitation, remind me and help me see You in that circumstance. Constantly remind me that who I am is most importantly who I am in You, and You in me. All that I have is Yours. All that I need You will provide. You are my cup of blessing. And surely the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places because they encompass You.

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