No Good Thing Withheld

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I’m deviating from my journey through the Gospel of John to linger a bit in the Psalms.

Oftentimes, waiting on the Lord is the most difficult request He makes of us. We wonder what He is doing and even, to our shame, wonder if He is doing anything at all! Things happen that don’t seem right but He makes no correction. We pray and those prayers remain unanswered as far as we can tell.

Then we come to Psalm 84:11.

The psalmist is basking in the wonder of being in the presence of God. He has come to understand that even in the driest seasons of life God can produce springs of life-giving water (Psalm 84:11). This dovetails nicely with John 7:37 which I also read this morning: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

The psalmist had discovered that fountain of living water, and with it came the assurance that he expresses in verse 11: “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.”

In the psalm that follows, Psalm 85, the psalmist pleads for revival and then caps off his prayer with this: “The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps” (Psalm 85:12, 13).

Walking with the Lord brings us sweet fellowship with Him where we can bask in His presence. Walking with the Lord brings us the good He has promised according to His perfect timing.

Psalm 86 begins this way: “Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call on you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul...Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (1-4, 11).

At the end of the psalm comes that ringing voice of confidence again that God will do what is good to those who walk with him: “Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me” (vs. 17).

The goodness of God walks as close to us as we walk close to Him.