Rest in His Presence

As the week comes to an end and we prepare for the Sabbath, I find that its good to practice just being. To just be in His presence and find comfort in recognizing that you are the Father's beloved child. No concerns about the future, not caring to dwell in the past. Just in the here and now recognizing that the Father loves you. That He has always loved you and will always continue to love you.

In a world that often feels chaotic and in a culture that values "the grind", working hard, and the American dream, it's easy to loose sight of what really matters. Everything, and I mean Everything, should comes secondary to our relationship with God. We see an example of this in the Gospel of Matthew 8:23-27 when Jesus is asleep on a boat with his disciples.

"23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:23-27

What are the storms in our lives? Are internal or external? Are they out of our control? Do our emotions get the best of us? Do we look at the storm and become afraid? Take a moment to ponder.

It's easy to let our emotions run away with us at times, though there is Jesus simply being modeling for us what it looks like to be in communion with the Father. Without an ounce of fear and knowing full well of the storm around Him, Jesus rested. He let himself just be. Despite the external storm, he had enough trust and communion with the Father that he experienced internal peace. Upon awaking, He rebuked the winds and the sea, revealing His divinity on multiple levels. The disciples understanding the prophetic significance of Jesus rebuking the winds and the sea, just stood in awe and humility.

This is the posture I encourage for you in your personal storms. Awe and humility in who Jesus is in His personhood. We don't need to become preoccupied with the storms in our lives, we just need to gaze upon Jesus, learn from Him, and attune to the ways He is moving in our lives. He is present, prepared to calm the storms in our lives in how and when He sees fit. Until then, rest in His presence.

Pax et bonum.