Blessed with Good Things Ps. 84:11-12 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In Ps 84:11-12 we read, Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.  No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  Ruth walked uprightly and she trusted in the Lord.  In her life we can find some ways in which the Lord blessed her.  We can see some good things the Lord gave her [no good thing will he withhold].  Ruth was blessed with:

A good mother-in-law — Ruth 1:16-18 — in Ruth 1 we are seeing a good person at the worst time in her life.  But she obviously had a good relationship with the Lord for Ruth to follow her.  Through her, Ruth learned to trust in the Lord.  Here’s the point.  When Naomi got bitter, Ruth might have considered that Naomi wasn’t a good thing.  Yet, she was.  Naomi gave Ruth good counsel 2:22; 3:1-5; 3:18 when Ruth needed it.  Counsel is a good thing.  So, remember that family may not seem like a good thing from God at times. But when you trust God and walk uprightly and consider Rom 8:28 and Ps 84:11, that close family member may be better than you think.  You are blessed to have them.

Good direction – Ruth 2:3 – man’s heart deviseth his way but the Lord directeth his steps.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart … He shall direct thy paths Prov 3:5-6.  “Her hap” wasn’t chance.  She was directed by the Lord.  We walk by faith and so you can’t always “see” where you are going.  You must trust the Lord.  And you must walk uprightly.  And then you will know that the Lord, who will not withhold any good thing, will lead you where he wants you to go.  Follow him, don’t make him run interference for you!!

Good friends – Ruth 2:7-8, 13, 21 – when you trust in the Lord and walk uprightly, God will put some good friends in your way.  Ruth didn’t have a husband at this time, but she surely had some helpful friends.  She simply trusted that someone would show her favor when she went out to glean in the fields.  Hasn’t God blessed you with some good friends?  Quit looking at what you want that you don’t have [a husband in Ruth’s case] and start looking at what you do have with the friends God has given you.

Good protection – Ruth 2:9 – Boaz made sure that Ruth was protected. When you trust in the Lord and walk uprightly, he blesses you with protection.  You want to remember that the Lord can arrange better protection for you than anyone else in the universe.  Ps 84:11 says that the Lord God is a sun and shield.  That’s a good thing.

Good provision – Ruth 2:9, 14-17 – the Lord blessed Ruth’s labor with sufficient barley and wheat each time she gleaned.  Notice that Ruth had to work for her food.  God didn’t just drop it out of the sky.  God’s goodness and blessing to you often involves a lot of hard work on your part.  He blesses your labor so that you have all sufficiency in all things.

Conclusion: In the end, God blessed Ruth with a husband and their first child was a restorer of Naomi’s life and a nourisher of her old age [Ruth 4:13-15].  God blessed Ruth so much that her life became a blessing to Naomi.  Wouldn’t you like to be blessed so much by the Lord through trusting in him that your life would become a blessing to someone else?  Be encouraged in your current circumstances because you have a God whom you can trust, who will bless you with good things when you walk uprightly.  You concentrate on trusting God and walking uprightly and let him concentrate on the good things you need.