For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
“If any thing be good, an upright man may expect it from God’s providence; if it be not good, he should not desire it… No righteous man would in his sober wits be willing to make an exchange of his smartest afflictions for a wicked man’s prosperity, with all the circumstances attending it. It cannot therefore be bad with the righteous in the worst condition. Would any man be ambitious of snares that knows the deceit of them? Can any but a madman exchange medicines for poison?
Is it not more desirable to be upon a dunghill with an intimate converse with God, than upon a throne without it? They gain a world in prosperity, a righteous man gains his soul by afflictions, and possesses it in patience… God strips good men of the enjoyment of the world, that he may wean them from the love of it; keeps them from idolatry, by removing the fuel of it; sends afflictions that he may not lose them, nor they their souls.”
Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) in “On Divine Providence; Existence and Attributes of God” in The Complete Works of Stephen Charnock, volume 1 of 5 (iBooks) 246-249.
Jenni, Sammy, Sophie and I flew down to Los Angeles and drove to Port Hueneme, California, to celebrate with her family the retirement of her brother, Captain Brant Pickrell, who has served 30 years with the U.S. Navy. Ah, palm trees and sunshine! Captain Pickrell would undoubtedly concur with the wisdom in today’s post!
God wants us to trust Him for all that is good, not desire any thing that is not good, and never get the two confused. He desires communion with us and for us to realize that afflictions and patience are required for our own growth and maturity. What’s this got to do with generosity?
Puritans like Charnock help us learn that trust in the goodness of God positions us to live lives filled with goodness and generosity. In Brant’s case, he’s trusting God for the right role for him in the next stage of his journey. God wants Brant (and the rest of us) not to love our possessions or our situation but to love Him deeply.
As our own income and situation are quite inconsistent at times, I am deeply thankful for this reminder. I pray it encourages you too. Our God is a sun and shield. He gives grace and glory. He withholds nothing from those who walk uprightly! Let’s give thanks for our “intimate converse with God” and depend on His goodness together!