25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Having an intimate connection with God through lives of generosity, prayer and fasting, we resist the temptation to seek after the praise of men (Matthew 6:1-18). Further, we have set our compasses towards things of eternal value and kept those of lesser value in perspective. Now we are ready to talk about how we live out our faith every single day.
TRUST ME. DON’T WORRY!
When someone says “Don’t worry about it!” we often know to put up our defenses. More often than we would like to admit, we have all been deceived into trusting people who had ulterior motives.
On the other hand, when someone else says “Stop worrying about it!” it’s like asking someone to ‘be spontaneous.’ Just the very command to do something spontaneously, by its very nature, makes it impossible to do.
But, when God says “Don’t worry!” we should listen. If our intimate relation to him is assured and our compass is set, trusting God with our needs and interests should begin to emerge as the way we do life. After all, this is the God who provides birds with food, who can shorten or lengthen your lives and who clothes all of nature in all of its glory. Need clothes, food or something to drink?
SEEK THE RIGHT THINGS
Jesus assures us that if we seek after His kingdom and His righteousness then everything is in place. You can live forever on this diet! And, by the way, as you pursue these things, your need for food, drink and clothing will find its proper place in your day-to-day lives. Remember? “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, emphasis mine).
Of course if you want to worry about these other things then you can be just like those who do not trust in God. They get tied in knots about things that have no eternal value.
But not you!
The God who speaks universes into existence has got you covered.