No Good Thing

Last night I was listening to 91.3 WCSG and heard someone preaching. I don't know who it was, but he was quite good. From what I gathered, the speaker was talking to men at a conference or something. When I turned it on, he was talking about dad's being with their sons in order to teach them the Truth. You know, how the Bible says to talk about it in the home, when you're out walking, just in every day situations. The speaker gave an illustration (the following is my paraphrase of the illustration)about a time with his son when they went to the gas station for a couple cokes. The line was long because the lottery had gone up to $85 million and people were getting tickets. The lady behind the counter asked if he (the speaker) wanted a ticket, and was shocked when he said "no, thank you." She bugged him about it until he finally spoke up about putting His trust in Christ. Later, in the car, he spoke with his son about the incident. He told his son that those men buying lottery tickets were counting on money to make them happy, but God said in Psalm 84 that He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. He told his son that if he needed 85 million dollars, God would give him that money. The illustration was to encourage men to be with their sons so as to take advantage of every teaching moment life (God!) presents. What struck me was the reminder that God does not withhold good from those who live according to His standards, plans, and will. He knows what I need, what I desire, and my job is to walk worthy and trust Him. Wow, it was such a reassurance for me, to be reminded that God knows me, my needs, my desires, my fears...He loves me and will provide what I need, when I need it. Right now I need a new tenant for my previous place so I can stop paying rent on it. God knows that, and He will either bring a new tenant or provide the money I need to pay my rent for both places. When I decided to move back to Grand Haven, and thus terminating my lease early, I knew I would be in a pickle if my landlord didn't find a new tenant pretty quick. But I believe that moving to my current place was a wise decision. I trust that if it was the wrong decision, God will help me learn from my mistake and provide for my needs some way, some how. If, indeed, it was the wise thing to do, I have no doubt that God will provide. Until then, I will encourage and challenge myself with Psalm 84:11, "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."