God is Faithful – A Guest Testimony from Keon Lindsey

April 23, 2024

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

I learned this verse as a boy and it has proven true over forty years. How? Let’s begin with some background.

I was blessed to have a mother who loved Jesus. Keon-Parents 1976 Her hunger for the Lord led her to listen to the local Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) radio station with excellent Bible teaching. As a kid, I would hear messages from the Bible while playing around the house. Sometimes things would catch my attention and I’d look them up in the Bible. I discovered it was a fascinating book and learned early in life that the God who gave it to us was not only fascinating but amazing.

One summer my parents were caught in a financial crisis. As a 12-year-old, I didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but I knew my parents loved the Lord. They prayed. Church friends prayed. Yet, we lost our house. Thankfully, we had time to move into another property my parents owned. It was a hard experience, but God took care of us and we never missed a meal. I did not realize it at the time, but we ended up in a better neighborhood with a better school system and my parents gained a better financial footing, because “the Lord is good.”

College Years

Keon-1st Day USNA Getting accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy was a dream come true. But the tough military training coupled with rigorous college classes turned the first two years into a nightmare. God knew I would have a tough time, so He put some wonderful Christians in my path as soon as I arrived. A retired Naval Officer invited me to the Officers Christian Fellowship and encouraged me to come faithfully to Bible study. There were three strong Christians in my company who were bright spots on dark days.

Though I prayed, read the Bible, and went to Bible study, I did not think I could make it through the Academy. The Lord gave my Dad wisdom for a short conversation that motivated me to finish the 2^nd year. Then, when my 3^rd year started, it was like the sun was shining every day. Classes were still challenging, but they seemed passable. I enjoyed Bible study and church activities so much that I invited others. I even got my dream job of being a Naval Aviator (pilot) after graduating, not because I was a great student, but because “the Lord is good.”

Faithful Friends

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Each Navy assignment brought new locations, excitement, and challenges. Thankfully, God also gave me at least one strong Christian friend to encourage me spiritually. Two of them challenged me by their example of Bible reading and memorizing verses. Though I read the Bible regularly and had memorized some passages, it had not dawned on me that I could do more and experience greater fellowship with the Lord.

May I challenge you with them?

The first friend was simply reading through the whole Bible and started over when he finished. As a kid, I’d hear a 15-minute read through the Bible in a year-long program on the Bible Broadcasting Network. That was good, and I recommend reading through the Bible every year, as I do now. But reading through in a couple of months speeds up familiarity with spiritual themes and practical topics because you can see them several times in a year. Of course, each time you read the Bible, the Lord can provide understanding and insight that you missed before. These will encourage you and can be used to help others.
Add to that regularly memorizing Bible verses to provide wisdom for daily life. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) God’s Word will give discernment to stay away from sin that harms your relationship with the Lord and hinders His blessings. My friend who challenged me with this was working on learning a Bible verse for practically any life situation. For example, when I struggled with temptation, this verse reminded me to think about right things:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

It is harder to be tempted if you are thinking about pure and praiseworthy things. Try it and encourage your friends to do the same!

Tremendous Bible Blessings

Reading and learning God’s Word prepared me for the wonderful experience of leading several Bible studies. It was very rewarding for me to spend time with God preparing for a study. And it was inspiring to see others learn and understand new things from God’s Word. Of course, this was not because I was a Bible scholar, but I had tasted and seen “that the Lord is good” and He allowed me to see others taste as well.

The Bible has been a key to blessings in my life. In fact, I realized who my wife should be by asking a question from the Bible. She immediately knew the answer. I saw she was serious about God and was the one for me! I did not propose right away, but took time to get to know her. Imagine my delight when I asked her to marry me and she answered with a Bible verse! “The Lord is good.”

I mentioned some dark times in my life and there were others, but I’ll share one more where I realized that not only is God good, but He is faithful. At the end of my Navy career, I had a “minor” wrist injury which limited some activities and took four frustrating months to properly diagnose. It would require surgery to correct, six weeks in a cast, and months of physical therapy. I should have been thankful that it could be fixed, and I’m sure I was to a degree. But the surgery couldn’t be done till after I left the Navy and was trying to get a new job (maybe in a new location) to provide for my wife and kids. If I found a job right away, who would hire me if I immediately required sick leave?

I was so frustrated and worried that I went for a jog and started to complain to the Lord. How did I end up with this problem at that point in time? I started to look back over my life and began to realize the Lord had done some pretty amazing things to get me to that day. I began to thank God for blessing me with Christian parents, protecting me from danger, saving me from sin, getting me through 20 years in the Navy, blessing me with a wonderful family, church, and Christian friends. I was a sight to see. Still jogging, I was singing and crying with tears of joy dripping from my face.

God had faithfully provided but I had failed to see it because I was focused on a problem. Thankfully, I reached a point of crying out that shifted my focus to the faithful Lord. He guided the surgeon’s hands and helped me through the recovery with a new job.

I was not alone and neither are you.

Keon-Parents 1996 Whenever you face difficulty remember the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Bring your problems to Jesus because He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Then you can rest in His promise of faithfulness because “the Lord is good.”

About the Author

Keon Lindsey is a family man, Christian author, former business consultant, Project Management Professional, and Navy Veteran with a variety of life experiences. He earned a Black Belt in American Freestyle Karate, worked for himself, flew small airplanes and large jets, and has a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Yet, what brings him lasting satisfaction is studying and sharing God’s Word, the Bible. Keon hopes that his writings inspire you to seek that great satisfaction as well. His books include: