The Lord is My Portion

“The LORD is my portion, says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him.”

“My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the LORD GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.” Psalms 73:26,28

Charles Spurgeon defines what it means to have the LORD as your portion, “It is not, ‘The Lord is partly my portion,’ nor ‘The Lord is in my portion’; but He Himself makes up the sum total of  my soul’s inheritance.  Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire.  The Lord is my portion.  Not His grace merely, nor His love, not His covenant but Yahweh himself.”

When the Israelites left Egypt for the promised land, they had to learn how to walk with their God on a day to day basis.   Living as free people was all new to them.  God knew that it would take time to grow into the people he desired.  Once in the desert, they began to grumble and complain.  They looked back at their old life and thought it was better to be slaves and have pots of meat and bread than to live believing God would provide.   God provided in a manner that required trust for His provision day by day.  Five days a week the people were to gather a “portion” which would be enough for that day.  On the sixth day, they were to gather enough for two days and rest on the seventh.  This testing of their faith trained them look to Yahweh as their provider.  God gave them manna each morning.  It would be “enough” for one day.  God is our “portion”.  He is all we need.  He provides for us just as he did for the children of Israel.

“Cheleq” is the word in the Hebrew for “portion”.  It is to have a share in a possession.  The tribes of Israel were all given portions of the land except for the Levites.  Levites were to have no portions.  “God was the unique inheritance to the Levites. He was the focus of their service, the source of their sustenance, and the significance of their calling. Their inheritance included cities, daily food, and a constant vocation, but it did not include the same type of land inheritance given to the other tribes of Israel.” https://www.gotquestions.org/God-inheritance-Levites.html

The Lord is my “portion” speaks to us today about God’s provision.  He is “enough”.  In John 6:31-35, Jesus tells the people Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is [a]that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6: 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

The Lord is my “portion.”  

Not only does He want us to trust Him for our daily provision.  He desires that we trust Him for our eternal life.   Jesus is our inheritance just as He was the inheritance for the Levites.  The Levites were to carry out His Worship in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple.  Theirs was a life of service to Yahweh.

Romans 12: 1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Lastly, many times the writer of the Psalms used these words while struggling to understand why the wicked prospers, why does my enemies continue to pursue me, and why the world seems so unfair.

Psalms 73:26 is an example of Asaph’s realization that there is an inheritance – a portion- that is not of this world.  Our inheritance is in heaven with the one who died that we might live eternally with Him one day.

Psalms 73: 23-26 “Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart
   and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
   I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
   I will tell of all your deeds.” NIV

No matter how hard the road may become, no matter who rules this world, we have a portion, a possession that rises above all the suffering, trials and difficulties we may face.  His name is Jesus.  He is our Sufficiency.  He is enough.  He is our true bread from heaven.

Father,

I pray we trust you in the days ahead to be all we need.  You are our portion, our inheritance and we are your possession.  I pray we give ourselves in worship and service to you.

Revelation 5:12 “ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

Center of Surrender Uncluttered Album by Gwen Smith