No Good Thing…
December 30, 2016
As Christmas 2016 draws to a close, and as we make way for 2017, I was reflecting on a strong childhood memory that I have about Christmas Eve. Maybe you have this memory too! Do you remember Santa Claus riding through the neighborhoods on a fire truck on Christmas Eve?
The first hint that he was coming was the din of sirens in the distance and I remember knowing that the sirens did not indicate an alarm, but rather, the arrival of Santa Claus. The emotions I felt when I heard the sounds of his coming closer to my neighborhood were a mix of fun and fright. It was exciting that Santa was paying a visit, but the thought that he “knows what you’ve been doing” was enough to give even a small child high blood pressure. I can remember grabbing a coat and hurrying to get outside so as not to miss the “candy toss” that Santa would perform. And I can remember jockeying for position and getting in line with Santa’s pitch so I wouldn’t miss catching any of what Santa was throwing.
My childhood memory was refreshed this past Christmas Eve when Santa made his way through the neighborhood in which I now live. I heard the sirens in the distance and even though it has been years since I was a child, I could still distinguish the fire alarm from Santa’s arrival. And this year, I did run outside, not to catch my own candy, but to catch a view of my neighbors grabbing their children and lining them up for the “candy toss” and glimpse of Santa. It’s still fun to see Santa come to town, but there’s no longer any fright as my mind went to a different place this year than when I was a child. My mind went to Psalm 84:11b:
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right. (NLT)
As God’s children walk sincerely and without blemish, God will withhold no thing that is valuable, good, and merry from them. Never do God’s children need to jockey for position, or make sure they get in the line of God’s giving of good things. If we are walking uprightly, we need not fear that anything good for us will miss us—a job, a promotion, a spouse, etc… What a comfort to know that the God who knows all of what I have been doing, will never withhold that which is good for me as I walk rightly with Him!