The blessedness of his presence

In my reading list, I moved from the end of Romans 8 to the beginning of Psalm 23. 

The thought that struck me out of that combination is this: all is ours. Paul tries in so many ways to bring his readers to that understanding. We live in a chaotic world full of tension and anxiety. Christ doesn’t take that all away. But he gifts us with his presence in that chaotic setting.

Then, I move to Psalm 23 and read:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

I feel lack. I look at my bank account and see lack! And I sit back and say those words quietly…

I lack nothing.

The blessedness of his presence isn’t to relieve us of the chaos around us. It is to quiet us in the chaos. He leads us by quiet waters. Waters that will refresh. Waters that will replenish.

The tension of chaos, anxiety, and the blessedness of his presence will be there. One does not negate the other. When we live in that tension with his presence, we don’t find a diminishing in our lives. We find growth.

Find rest for your souls.