Jesus had a lot to say about
worry. He came into an unstable and
unpredictable world. He lived in an agricultural society where one summer’s
drought could wipe out crops for the winter. He hung out with fishermen, who
might fish all night long and catch nothing to sell or bring home to family.
And Jesus knew the human heart and the temptations presented by the cares of
this life. So he gave his disciples some excellent instruction on worry in
Matthew 6.
“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? (25)
First, Jesus says God gave us our
human life and our bodies without us even asking. Human life and our physical
bodies are incredibly valuable. Our life is much more valuable than the food we
put on the table; our body far more valuable than the shirt we put on. If God
gave us life, which is so very valuable, will he not give us food, which is of
far lesser value? If God gave us these bodies which are fearfully and
wonderfully made, will he not give us clothes to cover them? And even further,
if God has given us eternal life, will he not provide for our temporal life?
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? (26)
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Jesus reminds us that God
faithfully provides for dumb animals. Birds don’t sow or reap or store their
food in barns—and they don’t fret about whether they’ll have enough for
tomorrow or to get through the winter. Yet God feeds them. And Jesus tells us
that humans, the crown of God’s creation, the only creatures made in God’s
image, are of much more value than birds. If God provides for birds, then
surely he’ll provide for those he made in his own image. Furthermore, will not
God especially provide for those he bought with the blood of his Son?
And which of you by being anxious
can add a single hour to his span of life? (27)
Worry does absolutely no good. It
won’t bring in money, food, or clothing. Worry only has negative results: it
chokes the word of God and distracts us from God. It is unbelief, the opposite
of faith. And it leads to more fear and anxiety. And the different scenarios we
play out in our minds can’t prevent a single thing from happening. And besides
that, most of the things we spend so much time fretting about won’t happen
anyway.
To sum up:
So don’t worry, trust your
heavenly Father who cares for you.
Mark Altrogge has been senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of
Indiana, Pennsylvania, since 1982. He has written hundreds of songs for
worship, including “I Stand in Awe” and “I’m Forever Grateful.” Mark and his
wife, Kristi, have four sons and one daughter. Find out more on his blog, The
Blazing Center.
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