Matthew 6:26-34
So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:26-34 (NLT)
Recently, my mother-in-law had the privilege of having a robin’s nest in a tree beside her front door. Four little blue eggs lay in a nest waiting to hatch. Anytime she went near the tree, the Momma robin crowed and cawed at her to back off. Before too long, four little eggs hatched into four little pink balls with beaks. After about two weeks of staying in the nest, being fed by Momma robin and visited by other creatures of the air, they flew the coop. Each little bird trying out its new wings, landing on the front lawn, and then flying off into the sky.
Whenever I worry, I am reminded of the birds. We often take them for granted, because they seem to be everywhere we look, no matter where we live. And if we don’t have birds, we do have bugs. I complain constantly about annoying mosquitoes that bite me and make me miserable. While they may be annoying, they were designed by God, just as we were. And He takes care of them, as He does us.
Why is it that sometimes we don’t see the Sovereign Hand of God protecting us and caring for us? In pregnancy, I worried about how my husband and I would come up with a crib and other baby essentials that we needed because money was so tight we couldn’t afford to buy our own. I worried about how we would afford food, and diapers, and how I would manage to take care of a precious little child when I had a hard enough time caring for myself.
As you can see, my biggest downfall is worrying. I constantly worry about things that I have absolutely no control over. In a way, worrying symbolizes a lack of faith and trust in the Lord. A recent church bulletin I found read, “worry is the most destructive habit.” Here in Matthew 6, God commands us not to worry about tomorrow, because today’s trouble is enough for today.
When we of little faith fail to trust in God to provide for us, we are forgetting the Words of Truth that were spoken to us. If God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? And in caring for you, won’t He also care for your precious little treasure? Handing our worries over to God is one of the hardest things that we could ever do, but it is also the most rewarding. Trust in Him!
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