Nothing Good Withheld

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” —Psalm 84:11, NIV.

This verse takes me back to a visit I made years ago to a ladies’ missionary prayer group. As was their custom they read the most recent letters they had received from their missionaries. On this occasion they read one from a young woman the group supported who worked in Bangladesh. She recounted the miraculous story of how she had been packing up to return to the states permanently. She really wanted to marry and there seemed like no possible solution to that particular need where she was. Just days before she was to return home, she got deathly ill and had to spent a long time in the mission-run hospital. You guessed it—while she was there, a first-term, single, missionary doctor arrived on the scene and, voilà.

The ladies were thrilled and immediately all eyes turned in my direction. The moderator suggested that they pray that I meet someone in the country where I was serving.

Since I had no such yearnings, but not wanting to offend them with an outright, “Please don’t!” because their intentions were noble, I took them to this verse. I asked them to pray that I would walk blamelessly before the Lord with the confidence that He would then ensure that nothing that was good for me would be withheld—including a husband. They were content with that answer, and I was greatly relieved!

Warmth and joy is how I picture that “sun.” Protection sings out to me from the “shield.” The words “favor” and “honor” could take many forms, but they sound pretty good to me to. The promise is as sure as the breaking of day. If we walk closely with the Lord, He will make sure that nothing what would benefit us (and bring Him glory through us) will be withheld.

That’s a promise to live by and one that we can count on every day of our lives.