The Good Giver
The Lord is a good giver. In Psalm 84:11, we see His Names, Lord (Yahweh) and God (Elohim), both of which demonstrate His generosity. God’s Names reveal His nature, His character. The two names in today’s verse are often used to describe God in the Old Testament (from Biblehub.com).
Yahweh [Lord]: the one bringing into being, life-giver, giver of existence, he who brings to pass, performer of his promises;the one who is: i.e. the absolute and unchangeable one, the existing, ever living; the one ever coming into manifestation
Elohim [God]: exceedingly great and mighty God; God of gods; God Most High; all-powerful Creator God (Triune God)
Use of the Name Yahweh tells us that He is a promise-keeper, steadfast and reliable. The Name Elohim tells us that He is a Creator, a Maker, that He is more than able to accomplish what He has promised. His promise in this verse? Three things:
- To provide protection (He is a sun and shield)
- To give Grace (He bestows favor and honor)
- To shower with good — excellence, beauty, sweetness, what is pleasing, the good and kind word spoken in promise (no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly)
This last part sums up the rest:
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Here’s where I get hung up: God’s idea of good can be very different from my idea of good! Yikes. And whether I want to avoid hard change or I’m desperate for change, I can start to wonder, Where’s the good?
I’ve realized that it’s easy for me to be like Eve (Genesis 3:1-6, NIV):
[The Temptation]
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
[The Deception]
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
[The Rejection of God’s Plan]
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
When life gets uncomfortable, I am too quick to wonder if God is withholding the good stuff. Getting stuck in doubt can lead to depression and despair. Some seasons I fall into a doubt ditch! What misery. Thankfully, the Lord won’t let me stay there.
I am rescued from doubt when I lean into His Word, which teaches that His best for me protects me. God’s good is meant to prevent me from living outside of His plan — no good can come from having my life, my way, but living apart from God.
Peace is born when I surrender my expectations and submit to His plan, over mine. Peace comes when I choose to “walk uprightly” or “accept [God’s] invitation to live according to His plan“:
We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan (Romans 8:28, VOICE).
The Lord wants to bless us, to shower us with goodness. And when we walk with the Him, submitting ourselves to His plan, we experience His protection, His grace, and His goodness.
Lord, continue to thwart my plans when they oppose Yours. Keep on withholding the gifts I want that aren’t for me. Persist in upholding Your standard over mine.
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