He Withholds No Good Thing

 

I remember having a conversation with a friend a number of years ago, and I can’t fully remember what we were talking about, but most likely it was somewhere along the lines of contentment in Christ, and our struggle to trust Him with our futures. She shared this verse with me, and it is now one of my favorite promises in Scripture.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Ps 84:11

I feel like the Lord has been highlighting this verse again recently, and gently reminding me of His faithfulness, despite my wonderings of what He may be doing. This whole psalm is an expression of longing for the Lord, of greatly desiring to be where He is, to dwell in His courts, even just for a day, and of declaring who He is; that He is our provision, protection, and bestower of blessings.

I think sometimes we forget the last part of this promise. That He “withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly.” And here’s the thing. It is only when we are remaining close to God; delighting in Him, dwelling in His presence, meditating on His character, and claiming His promises, that His good things become sweet to us. We have our version of what good things look like, and yet they don’t always fit with God’s plan. We desire comfort, safety, material blessing, health, and prosperity. God desires that we would know Him, and become like Him, and so He will withhold nothing from us that would fit with His purposes to conform us to Christ. The question is, are we willing to become so close to Him that we will lose sight of our good things to claim His?

Here’s a great video of Sarah Groves explaining the heart behind her song based on these verses from Psalm 84.

 

On a practical note, one way that we can stay close to God by staying in His Word. I’m starting the Christ Church Keep the Feast Bible Reading Challenge, and I would invite you to join me! I am excited to see the fruit from this in my own life, and to follow along with hundreds of other women around the world! https://www.christkirk.com/biblechallenge/women.