No Good Thing Withheld
6,000+ year old lie still working on us today
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For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. The Lord bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.
Psalm 84:11 (NET)
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I’ll be honest, this verse challenges my faith.
And I’m a guy who has an extra helping of faith via the spiritual gifts of the Spirit.
But sometimes I struggle with the lie that maybe … maybe … God’s holding good things back from me.
By the way, that’s the same lie the serpent told Eve.
Yep.
That wiley snake told her that God was keeping good things away by not letting them eat from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil.
I guess things haven’t changed much in the last few thousand years.
That’s also one of the reasons I chose to memorize this verse.
I wanted that reminder stored up in my head & heart so I’d have some ammunition whenever the Deceiver decided to hit me with another temptation to doubt God and His goodness.
Maybe it’ll be useful for you too?
Something else:
Remember that wisdom statements are not absolutes, instead they are generally true.
Meaning that I’m not meant to take this verse as an absolute promise from God, because it’s a part of the wisdom literature. But I can rely on it as a more-often-than-not probability.
I’m not sure if that comforts you, but it’s an important part of reading the Bible for all its worth.
What I am confident in is the sovereign protection of the Lord God.
Nothing happens that surprises Him. He rules over all.
That is an encouraging thought.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.