February 19th | Matthew 6

Don’t worry.

I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me not to worry, I start to do exactly that! Worrying is a natural part of the human endeavor. We worry about paying the bills, our health, our kids, and even missing out on the fun (FOMO is a real thing in the age of social media)! Why do we worry so much, and how can we stop worrying? Well, I believe Jesus gives us the key in Matthew 6:25, 

“25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” 

Don’t Worry Because God Will Provide for Your Needs 

Jesus tells us not to be anxious, and he uses a great example from nature to show His provision for us. 

Matthew 6:26-30 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

God cares for the birds of the air. They don’t have barns, although that might be rather neat, some bird barns in the trees! Birds don’t farm for food or store up food. Every day they wake up, and God provides. God did this once before with His people in the desert. He gave them what they needed when they needed it. God will provide for your needs too!

Don’t Worry Because You Are Valuable to God

We often remind ourselves that God will provide food and clothing, but we miss the point of this verse. You are more valuable to God than the birds of the air or the flowers of the field. This is the reason Jesus tells them not to worry! 

Matthew 6:30, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” 

God is not a robot in the sky who will just provide for our needs. That image of an impersonal God simply raining down just enough for that day isn’t what we see in this passage. We see a God who is deeply concerned with His people. He desires to lavish them with what they need and not just give physical blessings but the spiritual blessing of peace. When we recognize that we are loved by God, we can have peace, and our worry can cease!

Don’t Worry Because Your Gaze Is Set On Christ

Matthew 6:31-33, “31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

If the God of the universe deeply loves us and wants to provide for our needs, then why do we still worry? Because we’re seeking after the wrong things. We worry about having enough money because our culture tells us we don’t have enough of it. We worry about missing out on events with others because culture tells us we can’t be happy unless we are doing what everyone else is doing. We worry about our health because we are afraid to die. 

We worry because we let the culture dictate what we seek. Yet, Christ tells us to seek after His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us. We don’t have to worry about money, health, or even acceptance of others when we are seeking God’s kingdom. Why? When we seek God’s kingdom, our money, health, and popularity aren’t the main things; Jesus is! 

The more you look to Christ and seek to serve His mission instead of your own, the less you worry, and the more you’ll find your security in your Savior. Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred on the mission field for Christ, said, 

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” 

Don’t worry about what you might be missing in this life, live for Christ and experience His peace for all eternity.