For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
(Psalm 84:11)
Read: Psalm 84
Devotion: One of the most effective arguments that your indwelling sin, Satan, and the world will throw at you is this: “You don’t want to miss out, do you?” This argument is especially potent in your younger years. Once you’re older and and have seen firsthand the Lord’s goodness and the consequences of sin, this temptation loses some of its bite. However, if you are high school or college age, or a young adult, then you’re going to have to wrestle against this thought frequently.
For example, you’re in high school and you’re friends are planning on illegally procuring alcohol and drinking under the guise of having a “sleepover,” and they’ve invited you. How do you respond? You don’t want to miss out on the fun, do you? You don’t want to regret not going when you hear about all the funny things that happened the next day, do you? Or how about college years? Do you want to miss out on the full college experience of experimenting with different things? How about as a young adult living in your own apartment with money to burn from your first real job? Are you going to spend it wastefully so that you don’t “waste” your younger days?
Why is fear of missing out (commonly known as FOMO) on some unknown potential pleasure so effective at pulling us off the path of Christ? While there are different reasons for why particular temptations are more or less effective (e.g., present circumstances, our own natural tendency toward a particular sin, etc.), a major reason FOMO is so effective in derailing our faithfulness is ultimately due to our lack of trust in God. God has told us that in his presence is the fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps 16:11). He has said that the pleasures of sin are fleeting and lead to destruction (Heb 11:25-26; 1 John 2:17). He has revealed to us that a life that not lived for Him is a wasted life (Eccl 12:13-14).
We read those truths, we say we believe them, and then we hear that ancient argument: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Whether it’s the voice of our friends tempting us, our own flesh, or Satan himself, we begin to think, “Maybe God really is holding out on me? Maybe he is holding back some good that he just wants to keep all to himself.” By falling for this temptation we think and act as though God is a miserly old tyrant who withholds good things from His citizens.
But whenever we are tempted with this thought, we must remind ourselves that it is a complete and utter lie. It is the farthest thing from the truth. As the sons of Korah, God does not withhold even one good thing from those who walk uprightly (Ps 84:11). He does not withhold good from his children, from those who love him. When he commands us not to get drunk, indulge in sexual immorality, or allow any corrupting talk come out of our mouths, he’s not keeping us from pleasures that would be for our good. He’s not withholding “fun” from us or telling us that we’re not allowed to live lives full of joy and happiness. To the contrary, he is leading us away from destruction and to true joy and happiness and pleasure, both in this life and the next.
It’s God’s presence that is the place of rest and peace and security, even for the smallest of creatures (Ps 84:3). It’s those whose strength is in God and not themselves or the world who live blessed lives (v. 5). And the greatest proof that God does not withhold any good from his children is that he has given us his Son! His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased, it is this Son that He gave up as a ransom for us. To this, as Paul rightly asks, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things” (Rom 8:31-32).
God does not withhold good from his people. What the world, our sin, and Satan offer up to us are not goods. They are lies. They are fleeting pleasures meant to destroy us. Therefore, as we are tempted with the question, “You don’t want to miss out, do you?” remember Christ, given for you, and preach to your soul until it longs so badly for God that it faints (v. 2). Trust in God and you will miss out on no good thing.
Ponder and Pray: Consider why we’re so tempted by the thought of missing out. How can we fight against that temptation? Finish by praying for hearts that desire God all the more.
