Psalm 16, A Prayer

Apart from you, Father

I have no good thing.
Many run, endlessly seeking
In futile search
For that which satisfies
Snippets of pleasure
Is their lot
Brief moments of release.

But I choose to set you before me Lord,
And you have promised to lead me on your life path
Yes, there are your boundary lines:
Not constrictive as some might conceive,
But a loving tracing
Etched in life blood  
Boundaries pleasant as country lanes
With summer hedgerows
Verdantly thick
Where songbirds nest and daffodils grow.
Each turn of a corner adds delight:
New encounters

This is the pattern of your life paths I travel
Even in times of trouble, you stand reliant and true
Time and again, this I know well.
Your ramparts shield me

At night or when thick blackness weighs heavy
You speak, and counsel me
Therefore, I need never be shaken.