Lack Nothing
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: The LORD will give grace and glory: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 (KJV)
It seems as though God withholds a lot of good things from me. Like there are things that I NEED in my life to be satisfied. Health is a good thing. Money is a good thing. Abundance of friends is a good thing. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t possess all those-especially not all at once. When I am ill, I want to give up trusting in God. I am unable to perceive how I can serve Him properly, or the frustration wears me out to the point I no longer want to be in contact with Him. Money produces a sense of security and abundance. Excessive amounts of money would enable me to buy whatever I desire without looking at the price. No longer would I have any concern about the ups and downs of the economy. There would be no question whether or not I could afford food or gas in my car. Friends make my life special by helping me to feel seen and worthy of respect. With my friends, I am no longer hyper fixated on myself; I can enjoy their presence and learn about who God created them to be.
If God takes something away from me or refuses to provide a specific blessing, I know I can do without it either forever or for a period of time. I know it in the back of my head at least. He has my best interest in mind, even if I feel He does not care. Physical healing on Earth is temporary. Permanent physical healing ONLY occurs when we receive our new bodies in heaven. Not a moment before. He acknowledges my pain by sustaining me; not automatically curing my ailments. Jesus does not find any enjoyment in my suffering. If I cry myself to sleep, I know Jesus is crying with me. He died on the cross to take away the element of suffering once and for all. Unfortunately, sin is like a domino effect, negatively impacting all people over the span of human history. Irresponsibility causes the spread of disease, anger, and strife. God desires His people to grow stronger in the midst of pain in order to recognize that His goodness is what their hearts truly desire.
God may call His people to fly solo for a period of time to grow stronger and become accustomed to independence. All family and peers fall short of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, God needs my attention. He longs for me to focus on Him; He is jealous for our entire devotion. I can be too distracted by people around me that I do not set alone time to nurture my relationship with the Lord. During an isolation period, the Lord reveals to me how to properly conduct myself around difficult people. He also encourages me to create intimate bonds with God-fearing people He has placed in my life.
“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV)
What I label as a “good thing” does not always match up to what God labels a “good thing”. Money would not be good for me if I am obsessed on having a certain amount or if I am an impulsive shopper. There is no point in chasing a dopamine rush. My mind should not wander toward emptiness. It would be unwise for God to bless me with money if there is greed hidden in my heart. I cannot take money with me to heaven. Even if I could, it would have no value there. God’s Kingdom is built on Jesus, the cornerstone, who came to Earth to serve others and to rescue people from perpetuating sin. His eternal righteousness He shares with me are the building blocks for the Kingdom. The rhythm I have with Jesus determines my capability to spread the gospel, suffer for Christ, and earn rewards in heaven.
The Lord give and takes away to demonstrate I only need Him. My struggles nudge me towards God, which can be a long and painful process. God does not always talk softly. I take it that God would prefer to be a completely gentle God, but He sometimes has no choice but to be harsh to get through to my stubbornness. God can shed light own my path and offer protection, but it is useless if I am in tune with Him. It is more important to God to heal my “real self” (my soul)-the part of me that will spend the rest of eternity in heaven. No person “walks blameless” forever because all are sinful. As I walk on the right path, I will be able to recognize the ways God blesses me. Following God closely, I am greatly rewarded. Obeying God is healing within itself. I cannot “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8 (KJV)) without consuming the Word.
“ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)