No Good Thing Will He Withhold Meaning and Meditation

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)

Portions of this psalm are well known as a hymn of praise sung by modern churches, lauding God’s greatness and majesty, and expressing a deep desire to be in His presence. But nestled in this outburst of worship is the sweet truth that God will always give His faithful children good blessings. But what are those blessings, and who will receive them?

#1 God’s Goodness Is His Ultimate Gift

The psalmist here sings about the sufficiency and glory of heaven, where God reigns forever. He opens with these verses: “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:1-2)

He then describes how much better it is for human beings to stand in His glorious presence than to gain anything else in all of creation (Psalm 84:10) because of how great God is. Then, God is said to give grace and glory, and that those expressions of who He is will not be withheld from those that follow Him. (Psalm 84:11)

So here, we see that God’s goodness is His greatest gift. Above any tangible blessing we could ever receive is simply the grace and glory of His presence in our lives.

#2 God’s Goodness Is Available to All

Furthermore, while God’s goodness is said here to be given to those that obey Him, we should also remember that it is freely available to every single person. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) This is an open invitation to any who want to drink from His goodness and peace.

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for the sins of man was a once-for-all sacrifice that allows us to be restored to our right relationship with the Father. When we accept this sacrifice as the atonement for our sins and give our lives to Him to live as He has commanded us, we are free to partake of the fullness of His grace. (John 1:16)

#3 God Wants to Bless Us with His Goodness

God’s goodness is poured out on us because He wants to bless us with His free gift of love. This is not due to any special merit or favor on our part, but because this is how He has always been. (1 John 4:19) Jesus compares the conditional love of human beings to each other to the unconditional love that the Father has for us: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11)

No matter how often mankind has turned its back on God, He always pursues us and tries to win us back. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect and pure expression of a love that we can never deserve or repay. When we give our hearts to Him, we are given more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) and will fulfill our every need and desire. (Philippians 4:19) This does not mean that we can use God as a means to fulfill our wishes, but that He will bless us with His goodness first and foremost and still fulfill our earthly needs. (Matthew 6:33)

#4 We Are Called to Reflect His Goodness

Today, we are called to spread His goodness to others by sharing the gospel with the whole world. After all, the word gospel literally means “good news!”

God’s Word is preached as the ultimate message of life and salvation. It may seem like foolishness to others (1 Corinthians 1:21), but those that believe are called His children (Romans 8:14-16, John 1:12).

And God’s redeeming power does not wait until we get to heaven to begin its work – as we yield ourselves to Him, we are continually transformed and made more like Him each day. The Bible says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Conclusion

Always remember that God’s goodness is His greatest blessing. Three times in this psalm alone, those who find their strength and security in God are called blessed (verses 4, 5, and 12). We may not be blessed with wealth or abundance in this life, but we can find comfort in knowing that His goodness is always close to us.