For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
Psalms 84:11 (NIV)
the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
This Psalm encourages us by reminding us that God enlightens the world of those who walk with him. He is a blanket of light like the sun, making all good things visible so that we know God’s reality. And he is a shield of protection for his followers, protecting our hearts from the Enemy and from the destruction of sin. He gives us favor by dwelling in us by his Spirit and giving us an eternal destiny in his utopia. In the next age he will honor us, glorify us and give us grace (1 Pet. 1:13). In that day he will not withhold anything good from us but shower us with all of his blessings. We will live in a New Eden, where peace and joy and fruitfulness abound forever. All these things he gives to us because we trust him and “walk uprightly”. We should never doubt the benefits of remaining faithful to his instructions and pursuing what is good. His followers will receive his benefits, but those who turn away from him will not. We are blessed beyond what we can even understand and nothing can take that away from us.
