Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” NET

Simply put, Pray for what you want, be thankful for what you get, and receive the unexplainable peace of trusting God.

Dear Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers and giving us what we need. Help us find the peace in trusting you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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There is a popular author whose thesis is that in order to achieve things in life, we need to make ourselves vulnerable. We have to put our ideas out in public and risk being criticized. For most people, this is a frightening idea.

In a similar way, to grow and be everything God wants us to be as Christians, we need to do the same thing; to live our lives openly as Christians without excuse or apology. The difference is that we know God is there supporting us when we make ourselves vulnerable for him.

Psalm 25:3 says, “No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for the assurance that you, the most powerful force in existence, are there to support us when we honor you. Help us trust in you and live our lives as Christian examples, glorifying you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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All of us have our challenges living the Christian life. Some have difficulty truly believing God’s power to control things affecting our lives, others become proud of themselves and believe they can handle everything without God.

The apostle Paul had some problem in his life which he called his “thorn in the flesh.” The Bible does not tell us what this was, but he describes the affect in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me” NLT

So whatever this “thorn in the flesh” weakness God allowed to affect Paul, it was there to weaken him and remind him to put his hope and faith in God’s power, not his own. For others of us, our “thorn” may be a lack of confidence, but in the same way, our hope, faith and confidence should be put in God’s power to bring us through our challenges.

Dear Lord, it is a great source of peace and joy to know that You are the power in our lives. Help us remember this when we are weak or troubled, and put our hope and faith in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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At the end of most worship services, the pastor sends the congregation out with a blessing. In Numbers 6 God tells Moses how this blessing should go. You have probably heard these words many times. Verses 24-26 say, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” ESV

In the Living Bible, verse 27 says, “This is how Aaron and his sons shall call down my blessings upon the people of Israel; and I myself will personally bless them.”

We need to remember these amazing words when receiving this blessing. God said, “and I myself will personally bless them.” What a comfort this can be to those who believe, that God has personally blessed each of us.

Dear Lord, we thank you for the blessing of your love and care for each of us. Help us live lives in bold faith, knowing that you are always there to guide and protect us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Psalm 73 tells a story to which many of us could relate. It deals with envy and how the author, Asaph, started down the path to envy, but corrected himself.

Verse 3, “For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives, their bodies are so healthy and strong.” Isn’t it difficult sometimes to see these people who are obviously not living godly lives, and everything seems to be just fine and dandy for them. At the same time we are doing our best to follow God’s will, but scratching and scrimping to get by. His questions, just like ours, verse 11, “Does God realize what is going on?” and 13, “Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure?”

Then he stops and realizes how wrong this line of thought is. verse 21, “Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was torn up inside…but even so, you love me! you are holding my right hand! You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel…..Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you!”

How silly it is for us to worry about the prosperity of others. God gives us all that we need if we trust him. Finally in verse 26 he says, “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Earthly prosperity will never satisfy the longing God built into us that can only be satisfied by our relationship with him. Our true joy comes from being connected to God and keeping our life anchored in him and his teaching.

Dear Lord, Thank you for being there for us when we need to be reminded of what is important. Help us keep our focus on you and you will give us the things we need in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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