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Psalm 16:1

A Poem by David. Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.

1A Poem by David. Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.
2My soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
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Notice

David’s request for protection and his claim of refuge share one breath, showing how need and trust can speak together.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What would you name before God today after praying, “Preserve me, God”?

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How does David’s request for protection shape your understanding of taking refuge in God?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Isaiah 26:3–4You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.David seeks preservation because he takes refuge in God; Isaiah speaks of God keeping in peace the person who trusts him.
Psalm 31:23Oh love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.David asks God to preserve him, while Psalm 31 declares that the LORD preserves the faithful.
Psalm 17:8Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,Both prayers ask God for protection, with refuge in Psalm 16 and shelter beneath wings in Psalm 17.
Psalm 56:1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, God, for …Both prayers appeal to God for help, though Psalm 56 names the human attacks that Psalm 16 leaves unspecified.
2 Timothy 1:12For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I …David takes refuge in God, and Paul expresses confidence that the one he trusts can guard what he has committed.
Psalm 116:6The LORD preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me.The plea for preservation in Psalm 16 shares its concern with Psalm 116’s testimony that the LORD preserves and saves.
Jeremiah 17:7–8“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose confidence is in the LORD.Taking refuge in God shares the trust Jeremiah describes when he speaks of the person whose confidence is in the LORD.
Proverbs 2:8that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.Both passages speak of God’s preservation, with Proverbs describing his care for the way of his saints.
2 Corinthians 1:9Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,Both texts direct trust toward God, with Corinthians describing reliance on him under the threat of death.
Genesis 32:11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me and the mothers with the children.Both prayers ask for protection, though Genesis names a feared attack on the speaker and his family.
Hebrews 2:13Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.”David’s declaration of refuge and the declaration quoted in Hebrews both express personal trust in God.
Where this verse fits

Anxiety or panic. fear for the future. wanting a steady prayer habit.

What the Bible says about anxiety →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Pray this verse, naming one concern before God

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Encouragement

Your need for protection can be spoken without pretending to feel secure. David asks God to preserve him while declaring that God is his refuge.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 16:1. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 16 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).