Worry Not!

Matthew 6:25-34

25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Worry not.  We need food and clothing to survive and God has promised to supply.  Why worry about life and living when we have such assurances promised by the Sovereign Lord and Creator of all thing?  He who made man out of earth dust (not ‘star dust’ as some say to discredit God as the Genesis account records) can provide all our needs from the same created world which we were placed to tend and be fruitful in.  More than these things, He has given us life itself at birth and eternal life by our second birth by His Spirit according to the work of Christ our Lord.  Why then worry about the daily smaller things which we will have according to our faith in Him?  He shows us the example of birds which always have enough supplied to them, ready for them to go and gather for sustenance and a nest to live in.  Certainly they do not just sit back and think ‘let go and let God,’ but make the daily effort to go and gather what He provides for them.  We likewise are given the responsibility to work the land or other efforts as we gather what He promises.  As Jesus told us here, worrying cannot make us better people and we need only gather what we need, not hoard it in distrust or unbelief in His providence of provision.  This applies specifically to our clothing as well according to the example of the lilies of the field and grass of the ground.  Since these created living plants are clothed magnificently and majestically by God, why do we doubt that He will do the same or even better to we who have been made in the very image of God and given His breath of life (Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4)?  These beautiful flowers were clothed more beautifully than the opulent King Solomon (1 Kings 10:5).  The sobering contrast to this is that the grass will go from covering the fields in beauty to one day being burned as a warning that life is fleeting and there is a judgment by fire to face if we are then found outside His grace.  Why do we worry when we can trust His promises and provision of daily and eternal life in peace with God through Jesus Christ?  Instead of being consumed by doubts and anxieties for all we need, why not trust in the faith provided for us by exercising that trust to wait on the Lord when times are lean and rejoice in much or little (Philippians 4:11-13)?  We also are given the opportunity to give of what He gives us to meet the needs of others as His agents (2 Corinthians 9:8-9, 10-11) of this grace of life for living.  Because we know the scriptures, we can rest assured of these things because He knows our needs and supplies us our daily bread.  We are called to better and lasting pursuits than these, namely pursuing the outworking of the righteousness of Christ in how we live in direction, thoughts, and actions.  Seeking His holiness in our daily living brings His provision for body and soul.  Why be consumed with worry for our daily bread if we are pursuing the life of a follower of Christ?  Fear not.  Worry not!