There are a lot of people living with worry today. COVID-19, the economy, jobs (or lack thereof), health, politics, etc. all plague the minds of people and cause us to worry.
We are not the only one's who have dealt with worry. As long as there have been people, people have worried. Jesus addressed the topic of worry many times during His earthly ministry. One passage that records Jesus' teaching on worry is Matthew 6:25-34. This is part of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, which laid the foundation for much of His teaching throughout the Gospels. In addressing the topic of Worry, Jesus gave us some dos and don'ts of worry. Specifically, He gave us one 'do' and two 'don'ts.'
Don't Worry About Your Life
Jesus commanded His followers NOT to worry about their lives. He gave us two reasons we should not worry about our lives. First, we should not worry about our lives because God will provide for us. In verses 25 through 30 Jesus gives us two illustrations of God's provision. He tells us how God provides food for the birds and how He clothes the "grass" of the field with flowers. Jesus then asks rhetorically, if God takes care of the birds and grass, will He not take care of you? The obvious answer is yes, God will take care of us. Secondly, we should not worry because God knows our needs. He is fully aware of everything we need and is willing to provide. Therefore, we should not worry. Certainly, we should be responsible and do what we are supposed to do to take care of ourselves and our families. But there are some things we can't do. We need to rely on God for that. Don't worry. Trust God.
Don't Worry About Your Future
Jesus commanded His followers NOT to worry about their futures. He gave two reasons not to worry about our futures. First, we should not worry about our futures because, "tomorrow will worry about its own things." (v. 34). No need to bring tomorrow's troubles into today. There will be ample opportunity to deal with them tomorrow. And if tomorrow never comes, then it won't matter. Second, we should not worry about our futures because each day has enough trouble of its own. (v. 34). We have enough trouble to deal with today. There is no need to add to it by bringing in tomorrow's troubles too. Besides, we don't really know what the future will be. We may be worrying about something that will never happen, or will not turn out the way we think. There is nothing wrong with planning. Just don't obsess about it or become anxious about it. Don't worry. Trust God to take care of your future.
Do Seek God's Will
Jesus mentioned three items in connection with seeking God's will. First, Jesus mentioned God's Rule. He said, "Seek first the kingdom of God..." (v. 33). We must submit to His leadership and His objectives. Second, Jesus mentioned God's Righteousness. He said, "Seek...His righteousness...." (v. 33). We need to understand God's standards of right and wrong and apply them to our lives - live it. Third, Jesus mentioned God's Reward. He said, "...and all these things will be added to you." (v. 33) The things He refers to here are the necessities mentioned previously. In other words, when we seek God's kingdom and righteousness first, God will take care of our needs. Take care of God's business and He will take care of yours.
The theme throughout this passage is to encourage us to trust God instead of worrying about the things of this life. We worry when we fail to trust God, when we believe that He is unable or unwilling to help us. Jesus told us that He is both willing and able to help us, if we will trust Him. Trust Him to meet your needs. Trust Him to prepare your future. Trust His motives enough to adopt His will as your own and voluntarily submit to His will. When we do, we will find Him faithful to meet all our needs. As we experience God's provision, we will trust Him more and more. Of course, this only works for those who have already established a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay for our sins, rose from the dead, is preparing a place for us in the hereafter and will help us in the here-and-now. Trust Him.
This article was originally written as a sermon, delivered Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
All Scripture quotations taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.
(c) Paul A. Coleman