Our lives are full of experiences, good and bad. But it’s important to remember that God is always good, even when we seem to be going through a bad time. Psalm 34:10 says: ‘Those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.’ This can be a confusing verse. If we take it at face value and out of context, we can be tempted to think that it means we’ll never face times where we’re waiting, or going without. And when things happen like losing our job, a relationship breaking down, or ending up in debt, we can think that perhaps we didn’t trust God enough – that we weren’t good enough to receive those ‘good things’. But that’s not true. Times of lack, disaster, and suffering will happen – we were never promised an easy life, and there’s lots of verses in the Bible about waiting on God. So how else can we interpret this verse? Our idea of what would be good in our lives is probably very different from what God knows is good for us. In Isaiah 55, God reminds us that ‘My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ (v.9 NIV). We might think a certain job, person, or bank balance would be good for us, but God has bigger and better plans for us. Secondly, we need to remember that the only truly good thing is God. When we trust in Him, and commit to growing closer to Him, He promises that we’ll find Him, and that we won’t be spiritually hungry or thirsty. God says: ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). When we’re fully committed to God, we’ll ‘lack no good thing’ because we’ll be connected to our good God. 

What Now?

Try not to ask God about the things you feel you’re lacking today, and instead thank Him for being all you’ll ever need.