closer

I am convinced that each and every experience God allows us to encounter, He has designed to cause us to realize, more and more, our need for Him.

Jireh

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 84:11

The Lord has lead me to this verse recently.

So often I seek "good things" in my own power. I seek what I believe is best for me...what is "good" for me. But this verse tells me my focus should be elsewhere. God will not hold back any good thing from me, but only if I fit into "those who walk uprightly." My focus, then, needs to be on my walk, on making it "upright." As Matthew writes, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matt. 6:33) My focus needs to be on Christ's kingdom. My focus needs to be on His ways, so that my walk will be upright.

But...what's so amazing about this, is that God is the one who works in me both to will and to work according to His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). God, who began the good work of salvation in me, is going to be the one who also sees it through to completion (Phil. 1:6). My righteousness...my upright walk...comes from Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). In other words, thought I can't be lazy about seeking Him first and concentrating on my upright walk, God already sees me as righteous and upright because of Christ's work on the cross (Eph. 2:13; James 2:23). So...right now He will deny me no good thing.

One recent example of this caused me to wonder "why me?" Why does God shower me with blessings? I know my heart, I know I do not deserve them. God also knows my heart, yet He blesses me.

We recently had a college & career Christmas party and one of the leaders was reminding us of the Winter Retreat coming up next month. Standing next to me was my friend, Josh. He said, "Are you going to that?" I said, "Yeah, if I can find the money." He asked, "You don't have enough money?" I laughed a sort of hopeless laugh and said, "I'm going to seminary and working only half-time. No, I don't have enough money." "Oh," he said, "well, I'll pay for you." And he pulled out a $100 bill from his wallet and gave it to me. I was shocked! I said, "Wow! Are you sure??" "Yeah!"

So this morning I went up to the booth at church and paid the trip in full! I was still amazed as I pulled the money out of my wallet and told the guy there, "God provided this money!"

Praise Him, Jehovah Jireh, who truly does not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly...from those who are His own. Praise Him!