Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for all the blessings you have given us and how you have sustained us. As winter sets on us, many can be concerned about the cold months ahead. Some talk about food and fuel shortages, but through Paul, you reminded us to bring our every concern to you and not to worry. You have demonstrated your ability to take care of your people despite what is happening in the world.
You make the crops grow, providing air to breathe and sending the rain and snow appropriately to water the ground. You created our atmosphere with all its systems that restore waist; vegetation turns carbon dioxide into oxygen, and living creatures change it back to carbon dioxide. Water goes into the earth, flows to the oceans, evaporates into clouds then falls as rain and snow. You cause the sun to shine so the fields can grow, so we have a harvest.
Lord, you also provided restoration for our souls. When people sinned, you set your salvational plan in motion. We fell into sin, so you sent your Son who lived that perfect life we could never live. He then went to the cross and suffered our punishment, so all people’s sins would be forgiven. Then Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to cause us to believe, to begin faith in us. Faith delivers the forgiveness Jesus won, and with our sins removed, we are restored to you; this is true peace. When we are united by faith through Christ to you, we have nothing to worry about not receiving.
We may not understand atmospheric life cycles and all their details, but we still know they happen. So we may not grasp your salvational plan because we are entirely unworthy of having your love and mercy, but just as oxygen and water are there, your forgiveness is still there for everyone through faith.
So thank you for sustaining both our bodies and souls this last year. We pray with a spirit of thanksgiving; we can share your plan of salvation with someone new so that they, too, would learn, trust, and believe the forgiveness that is ready and waiting for them. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God’s systems are remarkable in how he takes waste, junk, and garbage, turning them into something usable. So we give God thanks for also restoring us.