These Four Words

August 27, 2021

Dear Friends,

Last week in our study of the letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul gave us a command. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done, Philippians 4:6 NLT.

What does it mean, don’t worry? We have plenty to worry about, just think about the most recent events...the chaos in Afghanistan; the earthquake in Haiti; the expanding fires in California; the rise in infections of this latest COVID variant; and add to that, our own personal challenges. Someone has to worry about these things, so it might as well be me.

QUESTION: How does worry positively impact any of these situations? Paul tells us that our worry actually takes God out of the equation, our worry is a statement that we do not trust God with it and that we can handle it without Him (bad idea). Instead, we are to pray about everything. When we pray, we activate our partnership with the Holy Trinity. Here’s the good news - God, our Father is listening for our next prayer.

God the son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is praying for us right now. For Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us, Romans 8:34 NLT.

God the Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is praying through us. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words, Romans 8:25 NLT. Now that is a Team that makes even the impossible possible.

A final word, actually four words...the Lord is near. These four words are the greatest encouragement we can have in the midst of any crisis we face. The Lord is near in the sense that every day is one day closer to His return as Lord and King. The Lord is near in the sense that He is with us every moment of every day, no detail of any crisis is unknown to Him, and He provides His Word for us at just the right time. That’s why we need to read His Word daily, because it may just be at that moment, He will reveal an insight that will lead us through to victory. What a blessing, what a resource, and what a Lord and Savior we have. All praise and glory be unto Him!

Thank you for giving of His tithes and your offerings. You continue to make it possible for us to meet the financial obligations to the ministries of this church, missions, local and abroad, and to our mortgage.

Be blessed and stay safe. I’ll look for you Sunday.

Following the Son,

Pastor Mark