The Goodness Of God

by J. Miller | Category: Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings | Mar 1980

The goodness of God is everywhere to be seen, and the goodness of God should lead men to repentance (see Romans 2:4). But such as are His children and who walk in His ways may know His goodness in a special manner. In Psalm 84:11 we find these words: "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly".

This Psalm shows a divinely chosen centre restored to man - the tabernacles of God, which to the godly were what its nest is to the swallow and to the sparrow. To this centre God's redeemed ones went up to Zion, God's holy mountain, there to serve Him in happy and holy service, and to walk in uprightness before Him, and to know His goodness in a special way. There they sang: "O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: For His mercy endureth for ever" (1 Chron. 16:34).

The Lord God is a sun and shield. As sunshine is to all nature, so is the health of His countenance to the upright in heart. He also shields them from all harm. He will give grace and glory. These are gifts. We can no more buy or earn glory than we can earn His grace. Then, as if to show that there is nothing too good for His own, the psalm says: "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly". It is in His heart to give, and He cannot and will not withhold Himself from giving: "He giveth more grace". John could say: "Of His fulness we all received, and grace for grace". Grace upon grace, like the waves that roll in upon the shore, one after the other, wave upon wave, from out of the ocean's depth beyond: so grace upon grace is given, rolling upon us out the depths of His eternal love.

Again, we may think of His grace towards us as the gentle showers from heaven, one after the other bringing blessing and fruitfulness, each shower giving evidence that there are more to follow: "No good thing will He withhold". At times we may think certain things would be for our good, for we are short-sighted and of but limited knowledge; but He is perfect, and He will work all things together for good to them that love Him. Let us fulfil our part and walk uprightly, and the Lord will not fail in His. It is not ours, by our own strength, to draw our blessings from the skies any more than it is man's work to bring down the rain. Sufficient is our task to seek, like others have done, to be found "walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6) and then the Lord will not withhold Himself from giving to us every good thing.

J. Miller | Mar 1980
Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings