Worry – Part 2
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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Matthew 6:25
Jesus said, ‘Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life…’ (v. 25) Now, the Lord is not condemning you for having a legitimate concern about your responsibilities. No, what He’s condemning is having a mindset that keeps leaving Him out of the equation, or turning to Him only as a last resort. Destructive anxiety subtracts God from the future, faces uncertainties with no faith, tallies up the challenges of today and tomorrow, and forgets to include God’s promises and His faithfulness. Jesus told His disciples, ‘I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough.’ Note the words ‘whether you have enough.’ That’s what we worry about, isn’t it? Shortfalls, sickness, redundancies, economic downturns. Faced with the feeding of five thousand people, the disciples had the same worry. Philip did an audit: ‘…Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ (John 6:7) How do you suppose Jesus felt in that moment? Standing next to them was the solution to their problems, but they didn’t go to Him until their backs were to the wall and they had no answers. In their hands five loaves and two fishes looked like nothing. Yet in His hands it was more than enough to feed the multitude and solve their problem. As the bread kept multiplying, surely they must have come to the point where they said, ‘Lord, why did I ever doubt You?’ Let your problems drive you into the arms of Jesus. And when you get there, stay there!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, by myself I cannot stand up to worry, but in Your arms I cannot only stand up to it, I can overcome my worries because of You. Thank You, Jesus. Amen