The Lord is at Hand

When the Apostle Paul, writing from his incarceration, wanted to encourage the believers in Philippi facing anxiety, he first reminded them of the nearness of the Lord. "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything..." (Phil. 4:5). Whether we are facing a pandemic, incarceration, financial crisis, illness, fear, or all of the above, the Lord reminds us that he is near, he is “at hand.” He came and entered our world for us. He became one of us for our sake. He died for us. He was raised for us. He sent the Spirit to us. He is seated now next to the Father interceding for us. The Lord is at hand, he is near to us, wherever we are, and in whatever situation we find ourselves.

Therefore, Paul goes on in Philippians 4, the nearness of the Lord gives us a reason to not "be anxious about anything" and we can trust that we can "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus." 

Because the Lord is near, we can believe these things, we can trust these things, we can have peace that only he provides.

Much love, Barry