God is right, always.
There is such security and freedom in this declaration. It takes the striving out. Calls us to a grand adventure of following our King. A paradoxical, upside down, joy-filled adventure that may take me to my backyard or the farthest reaches of the world or anything in-between. An adventure that starts with changing me, breaking me to the depths. An adventure that starts with surrender and continues through deeper and deeper surrender, leading to glorious freedom and joy.
How could it be otherwise? LOOK at the King! See how good, how right, how wise He is. To surrender to Him can only lead to better things.
For example:
Recently a certain temptation was kicking my butt. I couldn't seem to walk free no matter how much I wanted to. So I talked to the King about it. He reminded me, gently, that He'd already given the instructions. “Resist the devil…draw near to Me…” “Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart."
There it was. So simple.
And just look at how He set it up! The answer to how to overcome temptation is to draw near to Him, delight in Him, know Him deeply, pursue Him. So not only do I get freedom, I also get to experience deeper intimacy with Him. I get to know Him, delight in Him, spend time with Him. How cool is that?!
And that's how it is in everything. The King’s trades are total win-win-win deals. (Just so you're not shocked, though, be aware that giving up, leaving, surrender, pain, heartache, and suchlike are usually the first step. The rewards are not front-loaded on this deal.)
This holds true in the realm of physical health, too. God is right, and His ways are good, and His deals are always slanted in your favor. If you follow His ways, you'll be healthier than if you don't. For example, God cares about what's real. And turns out that real food is always better for you than fake. He says that physical exercise makes you stronger. And that's exactly how it works. He says that you are valuable and worth taking care of, and that you ought to love your neighbors. Turns out that taking care of your own health is essential if you want to be able to help your neighbor well.
And on and on it goes. The King is always right. And His ways are good.