Psalm 84:11 (NKJV)
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84 is truly beautiful, through and through. But one phrase from it has really struck me in particular, from verse 11: “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
How often we are tempted to blame God for our problems and even get bitter at Him. But oh, what presumption that truly is! Who are we to tell God Almighty what to do? Does not He know best in all situations?
This verse tells us that we can always trust God’s heart. No good thing will He withhold! Yet, how frequently do our aching hearts get frustrated with God for withholding what our flawed minds deem as blessings? How different our lives would be if we truly believed this verse and preached it to ourselves, over and over!
Picture a toddler begging his parent to let him run toward the edge of a cliff. The child thinks it is a good thing–he will get his exercise and will be the first to see the lovely view beyond the cliff’s edge. But the parent knows that the child, unsteady in his footing, would fall over the edge in an instant. “Trust me,” says the parent. “No good thing will I withhold from you.” How foolish would it be for the child to insist that he knew better!
In Luke 11, Jesus talks about God’s good gifts. He compares God’s provision to a father who would never give a stone to his son asking for bread. I wonder how often we think we are asking for bread, but God sees that we are actually asking for a stone!
Not only does God withhold no good thing, but He also works everything out for good (Romans 8:28)! Our God is so good! To deem Him less good because of a seemingly withheld blessing is to act spiritually immature, to mistrust God’s character, and to doubt His Word.
To be sure, there is no such thing as a withheld blessing for a child of God. If you are tempted to think so, please remember that our God withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly. Our lives overflow with His goodness, and we can trust Him entirely-always.
Psalms 34:10 (NKJV)
The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
