Do not be anxious (2 Kings 7-8; 2 Chr 21; Matt 6)

Many of us carry worries every day. We wonder how we’ll pay the bills, whether our children will be okay, what the doctor might say, or what tomorrow might bring. Anxiety has become one of the defining struggles of our generation. Into our anxious world, Jesus speaks some wonderfully comforting words in Matthew 6.

If only we would listen! It’s so easy to get caught up in worry and anxiety. I remember talking to someone who had recently suffered a loss saying it was hard to
have to learn to stand on their own two feet again at their stage in life. But what if we are not
meant to stand on our own two feet? What if we are actually meant to depend on our heavenly Father every single day?

Jesus tells us to learn from 2 things, (1) the birds of the air and (2) the flowers of the field. We have house martins nesting outside our house, I love the speed at which they exit the nest and twist and turn effortlessly. What are they doing? They dart through the sky, gathering the food God has provided, doing exactly what God made them to do. Jesus says “are you not of more
value than they?” The answer is yes! Your heavenly Father feeds birds. You’re worth far more than birds. Therefore your heavenly Father will care for you.
In the garden we have some beautiful flowers, I didn’t even plant them! But even if we do, we just put the seeds or tuber in the ground, only God can make it grow into something so stunning.

If God can make a field look beautiful, will He not much more provide for you?

So Jesus says, don’t waste your time worrying, your Heavenly Father knows what you need.
What should we do instead? Jesus says “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Spend your time and effort living the way that God wants you to.
Jesus ends by telling us not to worry about tomorrow.

These words have become especially precious to me because I have a son with a progressive muscle-wasting disease. It’s easy to let your mind run years ahead and imagine every difficulty that may come. It’s so tempting to worry about tomorrow, to be anxious for the future. But Jesus says, don’t waste your time doing that,
instead He calls us to trust Him one day at a time. I’ve found His promise elsewhere in Scripture to be true: His grace really is sufficient.
Trusting God doesn’t mean pretending tomorrow doesn’t exist. It means facing each day confident that God will provide the grace needed for that day. We’ve certainly had difficult days, but time after time we’ve found His grace to be enough. Our culture tells us to stand on our own two feet. Jesus invites us to do something far better—to lean on our heavenly Father every day.
Tomorrow’s grace isn’t given today. But those who trust Jesus will never lack the grace they need for today.