Numbers 24:11 “Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.”
Is God Holding Out on You?
I find that I am more comfortable with someone who I know to be an enemy than I am with someone who is a friend who is holding out on me. In some ways, it is easier to cope with someone who hates what I love than an ally who covers his intentions! It is tough to understand when someone misuses our good will.
Sometimes we feel like God is that ally Who is “holding out on us.” We feel like He is holding us back from something good. This is one of the oldest lies in the book!
Consider Balak and Balaam in Numbers 24. Balak wanted to bribe Balaam to curse the people that God had blessed. Despite his own desires, Balaam just couldn’t curse God’s people. In fact, his prophesy in Numbers 24:9 turned the curse back at Balak! Balak’s response to Balaam is a classic line of the Devil: “I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.” In other words, the Lord is holding out on you.
If you feel like you are missing out on something because you are doing right, you have a wrong view of God. You are swallowing the bait that Satan tried with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. He made them think God was withholding something good from them.
Psalm 84:11 promises that “no good thing will he [God] withhold from them that walk uprightly.” You can trust God’s intentions toward you. What is it that you think God is withholding from you? What do you think you are missing because you are doing right? No one can outspend, out bless, or out love God. You can’t do better than trusting God and following Him!