April 6: When no good thing is withheld

How lovely is the place where you live, O Lord who rules over all! I desperately want to be in the courts of the Lord’s temple. My heart and my entire being shout for joy to the living God… Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God than live in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. The Lord bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. O Lord who rules over all, how blessed are those who trust in you! (Psalm 84:1-2,10-12)

This beautiful prayer and song of praise was written during the Old Testament period when people went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God. The author of this psalm rejoices at the prospect of going to the temple; his entire being longs to return there to hear God’s voice and take part in praising Him. One day in the temple is better than a thousand days somewhere else, he says. He would rather occupy the lowest place among those who served in the temple, than occupy the highest place among the wicked. These thoughts can only come from a person that knows God—knows that He is a good and loving Father, who does not withhold any good thing from his children.

As we grow in faith and come to know God in a genuine way, those times that we spend seeking His presence and connecting with Him are more and more precious. When a person is not here-nor-there about God’s presence, that is a clear indication of his bankrupt spiritual state. At home, on the job, and especially in church, our body, soul, and spirit should be energized and strengthened when we enter His presence. The more we do it, the more we desire to be in His presence, and we even feel an obvious void when circumstances block us from seeking Him. When we value the times in His presence, God rewards us with favor and honor, and withholds no good things from us. A man or woman who trusts in God is truly blessed.

We become like the thing we value and obey. Valuing God and the Lord Jesus lifts us up and makes us blessed, strong, and wise. God will be a sun and shield to us.