Today’s reading: Psalm 82-84; Romans 8:19-39
11 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
32 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? Romans 8:32
God promises that those who are “in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) will never lack any good thing.
Paul doesn’t downplay the reality of pain and suffering in this world. We groan as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. To help us, we have hope that gives us patience. We have the Holy Spirit to help us pray and to intercede for us. We have the promise that all things work together for good and that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. We are called, justified, and glorified by God.
We can be confident that all this is true because if God has given us His Son, and He has, He will certainly give us every other necessary thing with Him. God will see that we lack nothing.
The Psalmist also finds his complete fulfillment in God. He literally longs to be in God’s presence. There he sings for joy (84:2). One day in His courts is better than a thousand anywhere else. Being a doorkeeper for the Lord is better than being in prominence in the “tents of wickedness.”
If you are in Christ, you know what Paul and the Psalmist are saying. Your heart longs to be with the Lord. This world is not your final destination. Nothing here totally satisfies you. You are a citizen of heaven and you want to be home (Philippians 3:20-21). But you are not home. Not yet. Be confident and patient. Your way may be difficult, but the victory is sure. You are more than a conqueror “through Him who loved us.”
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