no good thing.
The year was 2013. I was standing in the middle of the street, barefoot, letting the hot asphalt singe my feet, not caring, not believing I’d just been broken up with and was watching my boyfriend drive away with a piece of my heart and my Macklemore CD. I watched his car go north until it was a small speckle and knew I’d never forget that moment. Suddenly and without much warning, I had just entered Heartbreak City — Population: Me. This was my first true gut-wrenching heartbreak. I was crushed. I was sick for days. Everything felt cloudy and dull. I cried. I ached so deeply. I clung to my mom, to my friends and to any verse I could find to act as a salve to my deeply ailing heart, desperate for anything to soften the sting.
That’s when Psalm 84:11 entered the chat.
”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.”
There it was. The reminder I needed. The hand that helped me up. I read it over and over again. My favorite verse. This was the truth I used to set my brokenness. “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” — it’s a promise, a gift and a call to action. It renewed my heart in the moments where I thought it would never mend. Of course, time plays a large role in healing heart wounds, but so does our mindset.
What I realized during that heartbroken season of my life, and in several moments after is this: if we are doing our best to walk uprightly (honestly, honorably, rightly, virtuously, well), then we can trust that wherever we find ourselves is where we should be.
The promise of knowing that God actively withholds NOTHING GOOD from our lives is the best gift. It’s blessed assurance! It means wherever we find ourselves right this very moment — single, married, expecting, trying, hoping, waiting, healing — that’s where we are to be for such a time as this! Wherever you are right now is God’s best for you. If you’re in a season of growth, mending what you’ve broken or what’s been broken in your life, it can often feel like a deserted island, arid and bone-dry of blessings and hope. But, the priming, the pruning, the renewing of our minds and our hearts is a place God can have us for a time. Praise the roots, praise the growth, praise the renewal. These places are of great worth, too.
The verse mentions God is a sun and a shield. I love this. To me, it shows God’s fullness of character. He is a sun — He is what we need for light, growth, sustenance, and nourishment. Without His light, we walk aimlessly in the dark. He is also a shield — He protects, covers and defends us. He gives both life and protection. Each is a blessing.
A book I love, called Preach To Yourself by Hayley Morgan has a section where she talks about Romans 12:2 - “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
She writes, “We renew our minds, and God transforms us. That’s what Romans 12:2 promises. It’s an if-then statement. If we renew our minds, then God will make us into something new.” Psalm 84:11 has its own if-then statement, too. If we walk uprightly, then He withholds nothing good from us.
When we pursue various things, it’s easy to get attached to the possibility, no matter the realm. And whatever it is, I’m finding that when something doesn’t work out in my life, putting this verse into practice has been a great grit builder and test of faith. It’s given me ample opportunity to actively trust these words. When I hear “No”, I turn it into “No good thing” in my mind, because I know it means something better is on the horizon for me. When something passes me by — I whisper to myself No good thing, and keep pressing on. It points me back to God, recalibrating my faith, reminding me of His goodness and His timing — especially when I feel like my time may never come. I have “no good thing” tattooed on my arm because it’s been such an integral part of my growth in the last handful of years and I often really enjoy the reminder. Holding out for God’s best will always bring more peace, satisfaction and goodness than the temporary pang of being denied something we ask for now. I read a quote the other day that said, “Sometimes what didn’t work out for you… worked out for you.” I love that a lot.
Friends, if we are His, then we can take heart knowing that God is full of infinite wisdom to see what we can’t see around the bend. Hold fast. Trust well. Renew your mind and be transformed. He will withhold nothing good from us, which means the things we could currently be hoping for might not be the same good He intends for us. If something passes you by — an opportunity, a person, anything — that means it simply wasn’t God’s best for you. Take solace in that truth. Whisper to yourself “No good thing” and let that encourage you to keep walking uprightly, even when things feel like they’re going downhill and you can’t see an outcome from where you stand today.
No good thing. ♥
Please enjoy this Psalm 84:11 wallpaper I made for anyone who wants to memorize this verse or could use a daily ‘No good thing’ reminder!
