265. My Portion
Lamentations 3:24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
We hear it said by some people, “That’s my lot in life.” It’s a kind of resignation or acceptance of bad things in life that one is powerless to change. It’s a sort of “given” that this is what my life is like. It’s the hand I’ve been dealt. A portion, or a lot, is the situation in life that I find myself in. It is my inheritance, whether by chance or by someone else’s design. We consider it something I have little or no control of. My lot comes from the outside.
Our portion is the part of something that I have received. It may be a lot or a little, it may be large or small, it may be prosperity or poverty. My portion seems to be the size and shape of the slice of pie that has been given to me. We all, like children, have a tendency to compare the portion I have received with the portion someone else has received. This comparison often leads us to complain, “That’s not fair.” All of us feel like we “deserve” more that we actually have. Then it would be fair; I would have the right portion.
The only solution to the fairness or portion problem is to say with faith, “The Lord is my portion.” If I believe the Lord is my portion then I can believe that I have just the right amount of everything I need. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not need.” It is not easy to believe that the Lord’s provision is sufficient, but the miracle of faith given by the Spirit is that I am content with my portion. When that happens I am happy and content with my lot in life, and I want no more. I thankfully accept with grace what I receive as my portion or inheritance from the Lord.
God promises to be my portion; He promises that what I have is all I need. God gives and He gives extravagantly. This I believe when the Lord is my God, when Jesus is my Lord. The promise is this: God gives Himself; He gives His life. If I have Him, what more could I possibly need? The inheritance I have received is just right; the life of God is my inheritance. That is what the Lord promises. Therefore I hope.