No Good Thing Will He Withhold
“. . . No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” Ps 84:11.
The word “blameless” in this passage means “entire” and so the implication is to lack nothing in our character. Once, years ago, when I was reading this passage, the Lord quickened to my heart that our lives will lack nothing to the degree our character lacks nothing.
If there is lack in some aspect of our character, there will also be lack in some area of our earthly lives.
To read this whole psalm, click here.
The reason we sin is to meet our needs. Sinning is always an effort to meet a need, whether we realize it or not. But the tragic irony is, if we sin, we lose character and also lack it. And to the degree we lack character, to that degree will we have lack in our lives.
The devil is a liar. So, the message is that our outward, temporal lives merely mirror our character. So, we can be assured that if there is some lack in our outward lives, there is a corresponding lack in our inner lives (that we may not see or be aware of).
No Good Thing will He Withhold But It’s a Process, Baby.
But, becoming entire is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Depending on our personality type and where we’ve come from, among other things, it could take years and years to reach the pinnacle of wholeness and maturity, (as in my case, I haven’t reached it yet, and I’ve been at this a long time now!)
In fact, just yesterday, I was thinking about this verse and realizing that although I have many good things in my life, I can’t honestly say “no good thing has been withheld” from me. For example, I have a child who is struggling with addiction.
And surely having blessed children is included in the “good things” promised in this scripture. I had to acknowledge it must be because I am not yet entire. And I asked the Lord to show me where I am falling short.
But I can hear the pushback now. . . we can’t control the lives of other people by our behavior. . . But, I take God’s word to mean just what it says. No good thing withheld doesn’t mean few good things or almost no good things will be withheld.
I believe the God who created the universe and has all things in His control and turns the hearts of kings (Pr. 21:1) is able to turn the heart of my child once I do my part.
Hard-Hearted
So, then today as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw the post of a distant relative, whose child has cancer. This child is leading a perverted lifestyle and because of that I haven’t even wanted to pray for them. And I felt justified in that thinking.
Well, the Lord convicted me for being so hard-hearted. I have a child who is struggling, and yet I wasn’t willing to pray for someone else’s struggling child. I finally did pray for the child and will continue to do so.
This is an example of how sometimes we don’t even see our own character flaws. But, if we lack things in our lives, I believe the Lord wants us to see that as a clue to some lack in our character.
Fullness and Richness
I think the mistake people often make in their lack is to focus on it. And to try to supply it themselves, rather than focusing on the root cause, which is their lack of character and allowing God to add “all these things” to them.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you” Mt. 6:33.
I actually believe this is a spiritual law. If we are entire or whole or mature, we will make the right choices that lead to fullness and richness in every area of our lives. And if we are lacking character, we will make decisions that bring about lack.
No Good Thing Will He Withhold: An Invitation
I don’t know about you, but passages like this are exciting to me! Our main motivation for all we do as Christians should always be love and gratitude for all the Lord is and has done for us. But many passages like this one were included in the canon of scripture for a reason.
As humans, it’s natural to want to be happy and have our needs met. God understands this and invites us to work with Him toward that end.
From Foolish to Wise to Foolish Again
This promise is comprehensive and all-encompassing, one that literally leaves nothing out. But the condition is equally exacting. To be blameless and entire is no easy feat. It’s a task that will likely take most Christians years of full-time devotion to accomplish- and only in the power of the Holy Spirit.
But the reward is so sweet and makes the endeavor so worth it. Here is part 2 to No Good Thing will He Withhold: No Good Thing Will He Withhold: Our Part.
Having said that, growing up and becoming wise or mature is only the first step in the Christian experience. Some already come to faith with a measure of this, but many do not. And as we’ve learned, wisdom or maturity brings rich rewards. But that’s not the end of the journey.
Once we’ve done the hard work to become wise and are experiencing the benefits, the next step is to give it up for Christ. In other words, to become a fool for Christ. We then have come full circle. We’ve gone from foolish to wise and back to foolish again. To learn more about this click here: What It Means to be a Fool for Christ.
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