Hey! The Lord Is at Hand!

December 27, 2015 Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful
for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Php 4:4-7 AV)


We confess, O Father, that in our hearts we often fall short of our
profession, for we do not trust You as we ought and our joy is
depressed. We know that we are so preserved of You that without
your will not a hair can fall from our head; yea, that all things must
work together for our salvation and good. This we know and
confess. We pray that that assurance would break through the
gloom of our hearts and that our joy would be pure and sure.


We pray for moderation to be known of all men. That we can be
thankful for good things that come, and patience when bad things
come, for we know that both come to us from You for training and
growth in Christ. May what look like storms not create storms in
our hearts, knowing that they soon will pass. May what look like
unmitigated blessings not arouse fleshly pleasures, for they, too,
will soon pass away.


You are always at hand, Dear Lord. Your ear is always open to our
cry, and you are more ready to hear than a father to hear the cry of
his child. You will do us good and not evil all the days of our lives,
we do confess. The wicked are in your hand and will vanish like
snow before the hot sun, when you choose.


Hence, we sin, if we do not in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known
unto God. We are to pray without ceasing and to be careful for
nothing. Nothing should fill our hearts with care, because you care
for us.  


Our hearts, then, will be kept be kept by the peace of God in a way
that is far beyond our understanding; our affections will be
enclosed in your love and compassion and our wandering minds
will be disciplined by your doctrine and assurance, as you have
promised, and so we believe.  In the Name of Our Lord Jesus.