The face of God in the midst of uncertainty

In the last couple of months, my life has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Deciding to go back to school or not, wanting to stay in LA but moving back home. In the midst of all this uncertainty, one thing has gotten me through the difficult nights of tears, and angst, and that is the resounding promise and command through God's word.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 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."

Philippians 4:4-7

1. We are to rejoice always, because the Lord is at hand
2. Because the Lord is at hand, we are not to be anxious
3. But when we are anxious, we are to pray to our God, our Father, who hears us because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, reconciling sinners to Him
4. And God responds to our prayers in an amazing way, He grants us a peace that will actively guard our hearts and our minds
5. And all of this is possible because of Christ

Philippians was written by Paul during his imprisonment, and here there is joy. It starts off with the imperative, a command to do what? to REJOICE in the Lord... when? ALWAYS, and just in case we didn't catch it the first time, "Again I will say Rejoice".

Following this the reassurance I have found in this simple yet powerful phrase,"The Lord is at hand" this is the reason we're called to "not be anxious about anything".

The Lord is at hand, meaning that God is in control, that He is sovereign and that... even when we are anxious, we can pray, our Heavenly Father will hear us, not only does He hear us, but there is a peace that will be given to us. This peace is nothing that man can comprehend, but it is of God.

This truth to rest in, our prayers and anxieties and uncertainties, are heard by God. Our Father hears us, and will instill in us a peace. Notice this peace is the subject of this sentence and following the clause that describes the type of peace, one that is beyond our understanding, is the declaration of what this peace will do.

The peace of God will guard our hearts, and our minds. Did you catch that? One more time... the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds, against the anxiety and the uncertainty.

This is not of ourselves nor with our own strength, but with the last, most important phrase "in Christ Jesus."

The peace of God that will guard our hearts and our minds, comes from Christ Jesus, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls, our Lord.

How reassuring is that?