Provision of the Richest Kind

Psalm 34:8-10 ESV

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 
Oh, fear the Lord , you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!  
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

...............

No lack.

Its hard to imagine what that is really like. In our day, we get into conversations with friends and coworkers about winning the lottery jackpot. Everyone daydreams about what it would be like to be independently wealthy, free to purchase any desire. Or, if we are being extra spiritual, daydreaming about having sufficient resources to give generously or invest in some meaningful dream project. It is enticing to fantasize about what it would be to have no lack.

But believers are abundantly aware that God's promise of provision is often realized in times and ways that run counter to our daydreams. Psalm 34 seems to promise that those who fear God will taste, see, and experience a rich blessing of protection and security in this life - something like immediate deliverance from inconveniences and obstacles. Some churches in the prosperity gospel movement even make these very promises, regularly leaving confused, disappointed, and faith-shattered people in their wake.

How does Psalm 34 and the rich promise of provision fit with other passages of Scripture which clearly highlight the afflictions of the righteous? In other words, how can I personally have much hope in this life that God will protect me when godly men and women are regularly persecuted, mocked, and struggling with the daily trials of life in a fallen world? The story of Job and his mistaken friends shows the folly of thinking the righteous will never suffer. The words of Jesus even include seemingly contradictory promises: that we will undoubtedly suffer if we are truly faithful and unashamed of the gospel.

Fortunately, this psalm itself contains several clarifying verses that keep us from taking verses 8-10 out of context. For one, the preceding verses put this promise in the context of a particular deliverance in the life of David, rather than a general guarantee that goes without exceptions:

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.  
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
(34:6-7)

For another, the subsequent verses admit clearly that the righteous are bound to suffer, even while God's promise of nearness and deliverance is true:

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
(34:18-19)

So, if the Lord is promising to be near, to show up and do something to rescue those he loves, how can this good God allow "many afflictions" to continue haunting us? What good are such promises, which seem either empty, or at best simply too little too late?

The Christian knows the answer is in Jesus. Among world religions, even those that claim divine incarnations, there is no other faith that has a suffering God right in the center. No other faith can claim that God is "near to the brokenhearted" in the way that Jesus embodied - a Savior who wept over the death of friends, who bore the insults of fools, who was betrayed by all those he trusted. When Hebrews says we have a high priest who can sympathize with our every weakness, that is no exaggeration (Heb. 4:15).

Could it be that our lottery-winning fantasy of comfort and ease is missing the obvious? What could protect and provide for our deepest desire more than having the nearness of God himself, present in our very being by His Spirit, bringing sweet fellowship and rich satisfaction, in spite of any trial or weakness? While the trials of life "slay" the enemies of God and leave them "condemned," (34:21) those same trials pass over the believer as he clings to the Mast who is ever-present and faithful in the storm.

I pray that I can trust the promise of provision as completely true, but maybe not true in the small trivial way that I expect. Maybe it is true in a much richer more eternally valuable way. Maybe it is the riches I need most, the treasure where neither moth nor rust destroy. Lord, give me eyes of faith to see this provision in every trial and claim the riches of your presence and love as my very own.

*Here is an article describing the common phenomenon of lottery winners regretting their dream-come-true.