No Good Thing


Abba Father
In Your Word You proclaim
No good thing will You withhold
From those who walk uprightly

But God
In my humanity
That’s so hard to understand
When what I see contradicts what I believe

What about the husband and wife who month after month
Year after year
Yearn for and desire to have a child
Only to continually be met with disappointment

Or what about the maiden
Once young
She is now considered an old maid
Her heart’s desire for a husband is never fulfilled

What about the parents
Who from before the birth of their little one
Prayed for their child’s salvation
Only to have them reject Jesus Christ all their days

God in Your Word You tell us
Blessed is the man who household is full of children
He who finds a wife has found a good thing
You desire that all would come to repentance

Yet in Your sovereignty
In Your perfect plan
You may choose to withhold
That which is good

How can I understand it God?
It is too far beyond me
So I must walk by faith
Not by sight

Trust that You are good
Know that You are weaving together a tapestry seen from the backside
Yet in eternity when I see it in from the right side, I will know
You worked all things together for good for those who love the Lord

Susan Bunts Wachtel
September 11, 2009

Have you every prayed about something only to have God delay or ultimately say no? Have you ever struggled and wondered why God allows something that He’s proclaimed good to be withheld?

Right now I don’t always understand what God is doing. My God is incomprehensible. I dare not judge God by appearances and before His work is complete.

Even in my ignorance….when I don’t understand why God chooses to say no, or chooses to withhold the good thing the we’ve diligently and persistently prayed for…yet I will raise my hands to heaven and say, “Blessed be the Name of the Lord, my God and my Savior Jesus Christ.” Amen and amen!

The above photo was from our wedding by our photographer Sherry Hebestreit. I took the liberty of playing with a photo editing program and applying a filter. One of these days…I’m going to post a video from our wedding. Perhaps on our first anniversary? Or maybe by the tenth if the Lord tarries.

Concurrently Providential

When I see you,
I can perfectly see God’s presence in my life.

His mercy and grace,
Poured out in abundance to one so undeserving.

His sovereign plan,
That brought us together…in His perfect timing.

How He spent a lifetime,
Fitting us and forming two broken pieces for one another.

Yet…He left surprises,
In which we can delight and discover as we grow together.

I see His providence,
Because He went before me and prepared me for you.

I can testify to His concurrence,
As He worked a “good bad” in order to bring me to you.

Before you…He brought men into my life,
That made me desire…even long for a good man who loves the Lord.

Yet…He has given even more,
Deep blue eyes and warm smile…that melt my heart.

Chris…until “That Day”…and beyond,
May He continually, concurrently, providentially work His sovereign plan in us!

By Susan Bunts
May 21, 2008

Dedicated to Chris…the one I love

This poem was inspired by a sermon by Pastor Philip De Courcy that taught us about the sovereignty of God through His providence and concurrence in our lives. That sermon was providentially timed and has caused me to reflect and appreciate even more what God is doing in Chris and my life…and in our relationship.