Lord, we are not satisfied with ourselves. We wish we were pure. We wish we were purely constrained by the love of Christ. We wish that sin were so repulsive that we could not sin. We wish that out of love for Christ, we had cast off all sin. But Lord, we are a pitiful people. As Christians, we are weak. We praise peace and yet cause trouble. We give honor to unity and yet we divide the flock. We are called to love, but we can be cold and hard of heart. We are to humble ourselves, yet pride is always before us. We are commanded to be patient, yet we are always in a hurry. We are not to worry about the future, but we find ourselves anxious for tomorrow. We never have enough. We always want more. We praise God and yet curse men with the same tongue. We offer the handshake of peace, yet our hearts our full of suspicion and disappointment.

Lord, there is so much to worry about in the day in which we live. There is the sin that couches at our door, there are wars, there is disrespect for the laws of God, there is debt, there is immorality everywhere, and there is a growing hatred of Christians. Husbands leave their wives and children to live with unpaid whores. Ponzi schemes pass themselves off as investments. Thieves break into our homes and steal. Policemen are murdered in cold blood. Soldiers are safer overseas than they are at home. Criminals are freed only to kill and rape again. Our jails cannot hold any more. Our prisons are bursting at the seams.

Yet, Lord, we are also reminded that we live in maybe the most prosperous age of all of history. Even the poor man today is richer than kings who lived just a few hundred years ago.

The question is - can we handle prosperity? Can we discipline ourselves in the land of milk and honey? Can we avoid what no generation before us has ever avoided? Can we maintain civility in the midst of affluence? Can we preserve sanity in the abundance of wealth? Are we so proud to think that we can survive opulence and plenty without the rule of God? If we play with fire we shall burn. If we live with serpents we will be bitten. If we run with the bees we will be stung. If we live in a cesspool, we will get sick. Lord, give us simple godly wisdom. We don't need to know all the knowledge in the world. We don't need to become greatly technical and greatly professional to understand simple truths that men reap what they sow. We only need to read our Bible and to pay attention to the testimony of history.

Lord, we will not become depressed in a dark world. By the Spirit of God we refuse to bow down to depression and hopelessness. Jesus is the light that lightens the world. Jesus gives life to the dead. Jesus gives healing to the sick. Jesus gives purpose to the aimless. Jesus sits on his holy throne. Nothing happens apart from Thy holy will. Regardless of the dark storm clouds threatening us, nothing happens apart from Thy sovereign decrees. If we see war, we still see the hand of God. If we see death, we still see the hand of God. If we see sickness, we still see the hand of God. If we see famine, earthquake, peril, or sword, we see the hand of God. If we see plenty, we see the hand of God. If we see healing, we see the hand of God. If we see a sunny day, we see the hand of God. All things work together for good to prepare us for a greater day, a greater kingdom, a greater life in a greater age. For this we give thanks.