Peace

The Lord is at Hand

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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 4:5b-7 ESV

If you are seeking God’s direction yet feeling as if you are at a dead end, you are in good company. It is totally normal to sometimes face difficulty, crisis, or discouragement. But at those moments, we need to recall that in the Gospels, Jesus specialized in showing up for his disciples exactly for times like those. Jesus often appeared unexpectedly, in the middle of storms, inside locked rooms and at gravesides. And when Jesus came, he always began with same message. “It is I. Don’t be afraid! In today’s passage Paul begins by reminding us that our reason for confidence and faith in our prayers begins with one fact. “The Lord is at hand.” No matter that 2,000 years have passed, that no one else is praying and in spite of our weaknesses and failures, Jesus is still so close, that we can reach out and touch Him. So, as you go about your journey this morning, don’t be anxious, instead, rest your faith on these three simple truths. The Lord is at hand, He is listening, and He has promised to answer. May God bless us as we rest secure in knowing that He is within our hand’s reach, He listens to our prayers, and He will calm every fear with this message. “Do not be afraid. I am standing near!”

A River Glorious

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You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

“Like a river glorious, flows God’s perfect peace.” This opening line of Frances Havergal’s hymn was written as she lay in her sickbed, while doctors suggested to her that she might not survive. Instead of allowing depression or panic to set in, Francis is famously quoted as saying, “If I am really going, it is too good to be true!” I wish I always had that kind of experience with God’s peace, when I am suffering. I am learning that the key to peace that flows like a glorious river, is that it has its source in God. As today’s verse says, we can have that peace when our mind is “stayed on” God. Instead of frittering away our time with useless activities, God invites us to come to His river, whose flow cannot be interrupted by circumstances, situations, or disasters. It is a stream of eternal hope. It is a peace that leads calmly on, when floods of sorrow are overwhelming, just as the Red Sea was held back as the children of Israel crossed. It is a peace that cools the flames of anger and persecution, just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came safely out of the fiery furnace, with only their bonds burned away. What a great hope we have, and what strength flows from God’s river which flows freely, without fail from the foot of the cross, where our Lord Jesus poured out His blood for us. Will you look to Him and trust Him today? Will you fix your eyes on the beautiful face of Jesus, who offers us His perfect peace, if we will only trust in Him?

Drip by Drip and Drop by Drop

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Love settles swiftly in the heart
Where Christ Jesus comes to reign
While Joy comes bursting like a flood
And Peace begins its reign

But patience keeps me through the night
As she lags behind the rest
And holds my heart through fire and flood
For the moment God knows best

Then drip by drip and drop by drop
When the fiercest storm wind blows
She fills my cup with living hope 
In Jesus overflows


Drip by Drip and Drop by Drop
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2026
All rights reserved

P.S. This poem written while I am learning patience is dedicated to my former pastor, Dr. Joliam Sampaio. As he and his wife Claudia have given their lives in ministry, and missions, they have modeled patience. Through suffering and even slander, they have maintained both the joy and the meekness of Jesus.

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