Do Not be Anxious

Transcript

GR 668
5/6/1984
Do Not Be Anxious
Matthew 6:25-34 Gil Rugh

In the section of Matthew 6 that includes verses 19 through 34, Jesus focuses on the matter of material possessions. In verses 19 through 24, He warned His followers not to focus their lives on earthly things. As His followers today, we are to be people of a single focus, that focus being on God and His kingdom, His glory and His righteousness. We are not to concentrate on setting up treasure on earth, because everything here is transitory.
Instead of focusing our lives on things of this world, we are exhorted to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven that are permanent. If the focus of your life is on amassing earthly treasures, that is where your heart’s attention will be riveted.
In verses 22 through 24, Jesus gave some examples to illustrate His point. He indicated that the eye is the vehicle through which light is let into the body. Using that illustration, Jesus says we are to be people with a single purpose. We cannot divide our attention, giving some to the amassing of earthly things and some to the amassing of heavenly treasures. We cannot strive for the best of both worlds. Such an approach is an impossibility. One who tries to live such a divided existence is in darkness.
Jesus gave another example saying that it is impossible to serve two masters. In His illustration, He was discussing slavery, a condition which would dominate one’s life. Similarly, Jesus said that riches dominate the lives of those who pursue them. But believers in Jesus Christ are to be the slaves of God and are obligated to devote their time in totality to serving Him. It is impossible to please Him if we divide our attention.
This approach naturally raises some questions. Certain physical things are necessary for existence in this life. We must have food, clothing and shelter. Is Jesus saying that these things are not important? No, He is saying that we are to focus our attention on God, then God will see that all these other things are provided.
The emphasis of verses 25 through 34 is on the subject of anxiety or worry. Three times in these verses, Christ gives the admonition, “do not be anxious.” We live in a society which is characterized by worry over material things. As was noted in the last study, the world has always been materialistic, so this is not a new development. The unbeliever has nowhere else to focus his attention but upon the transitory things which can be seen. In the fourth and fifth chapters of Second Corinthians, Paul says that the unique thing about believers is that they walk by faith, not by sight. He says the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The person who is not a believer in Jesus Christ cannot invest his life anywhere but in the transitory -- the temporal things which are seen. The unbeliever has much to worry about. He has to worry about tomorrow’s job, tomorrow’s food and tomorrow’s clothing. He has to worry about whether the stock market is going to collapse or whether the world’s banking system is getting shaky. In fact, all of his life is shaky because it is invested in the transitory things of this world. But for those who are God’s children by faith in His Son, Jesus says, “You are not to worry and be anxious. ” We are privileged to live worry-free lives, unaffected by the pressures that bring anxiety to unbelievers. This is possible because we have a God who has guaranteed our provision. Therefore, we do not have anything to worry about regarding our needs. They have all been cared for by God.

Anxiety is mentioned a number of times, but three times, in verses 25, 31 and 34, Jesus says, “do not be anxious.” In each of these instructions, He gives reasons for our not being anxious.
In verses 25 through 30, the basic reason we are not to be anxious is because God makes adequate provision for us. We need not worry because God will provide. In verses 31 through 33, He tells us not to be anxious because God knows what we need, and He will provide. The third instruction given in verse 34 is simple enough that anyone can grasp it. In that verse, He tells us not to be anxious because each day has enough trouble of its own. We have our hands full with today’s pressures without getting all burdened down with tomorrow’s problems.
Some people take a passage like Matthew 6 and use it to communicate that Christians can live lighthearted lives with no problems, no concerns, no cares and no worries. That is not true. In fact, the same Greek word that is used here for anxiety, merimno, is used in other verses in the New Testament to indicate a positive concern for others which should characterize believers. The word means anxiety, care or concern. It can be used negatively meaning to be anxious or distraught over something; worry in a negative sense. It can be used positively for proper care and concern; worry in a good sense, (if you can use the word “worry” in a good sense). Jesus is not talking about Christians living lives that are burden-free. Instead, He is talking about Christians being able to live their lives free from the anxieties of everyday living. But we are to have a godly concern about our growth in Christ and about the development of other believers to maturity in Christ.
Paul used the word positively in both of his letters to the believers at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 12, he said that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is born into His body, a spiritual body in which all of the parts work together. “But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:24,25). The word translated “care” in verse 25 is the same word which is translated “anxious” in Matthew 6:25.
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul described all the physical suffering he had gone through in his service for Jesus Christ. He had been beaten, shipwrecked, hungry and thirsty. These were all external things that had pressed in upon him physically. Then in verse 28 he said, “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.” The word translated “concern” is the same word translated “anxious” in Matthew 6:25.
In Matthew 6, Jesus is saying that we should not be anxious in the negative sense, but in 1 Corinthians 12 and 2 Corinthians 11, we are instructed to have a godly concern for one another. That concern should cause us to become involved in the lives of others, even being inconvenienced, in order that they might grow and mature as they should.
When Jesus says, “do not be anxious” (Matt. 6:25,31,34), we must put it in the context Jesus was using in that chapter. It does not mean that a Christian will lead a carefree, lighthearted life with no pressures, no burdens and no problems. If you are a believer, you ought to be concerned about the development of other believers in the body. You should experience enough care that you would commit yourself to the development of other believers. That is a healthy concern which is produced by the Spirit of God. It motivates us to do things we otherwise would not do and causes us to be willing to be inconvenienced so that others will develop and mature as believers.
Jesus is talking in Matthew 6 about what we generally refer to as worry, being distraught, or having anxiety over the things of this life. We live in a world that is characterized by anxiety, fear and worry. Believers are to live separated from those unhealthy attitudes. In verses 25 through 34, Jesus zeros in on the basics of life -- the things you have to have to live. If you do not have to worry about these things, what do you have to worry about? The other things are just
added things which you really do not have to have, things you can do without in life. So Jesus said, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matt. 6:25). Food, drink and clothing are the things you have to have to survive. Jesus said we are not to worry about them. Is there not more to life than what you eat and what you wear? Obviously so. Life would be meaningless if that were all there is to life. Those things are necessary, but there is more to life than that.
It is understood that we must have food, drink and clothing. Jesus is not arguing that point; he is arguing that we ought not to be worried about having these things. In the following verses He gives some examples to illustrate what he is saying.
The first example is in verse 26: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns.” Birds have no planting program, no harvesting program, and they have no buildings in which they store up their goods. Those things are not characteristic of birds, “and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (v. 26). In spite of no program for storing up food, birds still eat. God has arranged that their food is provided even though they do not go through all the processes needed for storing food. They are not worried about too much rain which will hinder them from getting their crops in the ground this year. That concept does not bother them a bit; it is not a part of their worry. But God feeds them.
This almost seems like an overly simple illustration. But what is the application? “Are you not worth much more than they?” (v. 26). Are you not more important than a bird? The simplicity of it almost goes beyond us. So let me ask you, does not God provide for the birds? Yes, you reply. Are you more important than the birds? Yes. Then the concluding question, do you think God will provide for you? I guess so, you respond. Should you not respond more positively than that?
We could use the same illustration with our own children, because they are important to us just as we are important to God. In the cold weather we sometimes put out food for the birds. Do you think my children are more important than the birds? Do you think I will feed the birds and let my children go hungry? Are we not the children of God? Does God not love His children? Do you think God is going to feed the birds and let His children go hungry?
The next illustration is to help us understand that worry is pointless: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?” (v. 27). Worry accomplishes nothing. There are two possible translations for this illustration because the same word can be translated two ways. It is used both of height and length of time. It is used to describe Zaccheus who was short in stature, and it is also used to describe adding to one’s life span. A cubit is about eighteen inches. One possible interpretation for this verse is: If you worry, can you add eighteen inches to your height? Obviously not.
It seems to me that the New American Standard Bible gives the better translation by referring to a ‘longer’ life span. The question is more likely: Can you lengthen your life at all by worry? Medical experts tell us today that worry probably shortens our lives and causes all kinds of physical problems to develop. In speaking of adding a cubit to your life span, Jesus is mixing metaphors as we sometimes do. After a birthday we sometimes say, “I’vepassed another milestone. ” We have not really passed another milestone, because a milestone is a measure of distance. We also talk about “walking life’s road, ” picturing the extent of our life. That is most likely what He is talking about here. Can you add anything to your road of life by worrying? The basic statement Jesus is making is that worry accomplishes nothing.
You can illustrate that point for yourself. After you have dinner, go sit down on the couch without your television, radio or a book. Pick out something to worry about - a biggie. Put a couple of hankies or a box of tissues beside you and really go to work on worrying! When all is said and done, what have you accomplished? You may worry, be anxious and wring your hands for a couple of hours, then when you get up, nothing will have changed. You can worry about your job; it will not have changed a thing about your job. You can worry about your house payment; it will not have changed a thing about your house payment. You can worry about whether your car is going to operate - worry about anything - it will not have changed anything.
What are you accomplishing with your anxiety? Nothing positive. You cannot change life by your worrying. So, quite frankly, worrying is dumb. It does not do anything except make us miserable. This is another very simple example, but we need to stop and think about it. We accomplish nothing by our worrying, but sometimes we think we have to do something, so worry is what we choose to do. When you stop to think about it, there is no point to it.
In His illustrations, Jesus has talked about how God provides food and how nothing is accomplished by worrying. He turns to clothing in verse 28: “And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin.” Spring is a beautiful time of the year when you can go out and see the flowers coming out in their beautiful colors with all of the intricate designs. What preparation do they make for that? They spend no effort in designing their appearance. It “just happens,” so to speak. In the next verse He speaks of their splendor. “Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these” (v. 29). Solomon, with all that he had -- the wisest and one of the wealthiest men who ever lived -- was not clothed as splendidly as the flowers of the fields.
Jesus continues in verse 30, “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” The grass is transitory; the flowers are going to die. That will be the end of them. The people of Palestine dried out the flowers and grass and used them for fuel in their furnaces.
Do you think God would clothe the grass and the flowers of the field in such a beautiful manner, which were only going to be thrown into a furnace, then say, “Oh, I forgot. Gil needs clothes! Oh well, I’ll remember that next year." Look at how fat the birds are this year. Do you think God would feed all of them and then say, “Oh yes, I forgot. Gil did not eat this month!"
You may respond, “That’s dumb!" That is exactly what it is. We cannot change anything by worrying. We have a God who makes all the provisions necessary for us. Why should we worry?
The last phrase of verse 30, “O men of little faith,” describes the character and conduct of believers. It does not denote an absence of faith, because He is talking about believers. Jesus is addressing those who are anticipating the kingdom and calls them “men of little faith.” He is not speaking of an absence of faith, but of a trust that is divided.
We say we believe God can provide. We say He has provided for us in the past. But we are worried about whether He will come through this time. That is what worry really is. He has come through in the past by providing food, clothing and everything we need. But now we are a little shaky. Will He do it this time? That is weak faith.
Jesus used a very similar expression four other times in the Gospel of Matthew. Each time it is addressed to believers who are divided in their faith.
In Matthew 8 the disciples were in a boat with Jesus, who was sleeping, and a storm came up. The sea began to churn and the boat was in danger of sinking. “And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’” (Matt. 8:25). That is to me evidence of great faith. There the disciples were, in the midst of a storm on the sea, fearing that the boat would be destroyed and sunk. They had confidence that Jesus Christ could intervene and spare them. You cannot say they were men without faith. They had confidence that Jesus Christ could intervene and save them, but note Christ’s response, “And He said to them, ‘Why are you timid, you men of little faith?’” (v. 26). It seemed like they had a lot of faith, but it was a little. Why? Because they were divided. They awakened Him in a panic because they knew He could save them, but they were afraid He would not.
He can, but will He? You know He can get you the job you need, but will He? You know He can sustain you in your trials, but will He? Faith is there, but it is a little faith, because it is mixed with doubt over whether He will or not.

In chapter 14 Christ came walking to the disciples on the water. Peter asked if He could come and meet Christ. At Jesus’ command, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Him. To me that evidences faith. It took faith for Peter to climb over the side of that boat and start walking. But look what happened in verse 30, “But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord save me!’” You cannot say Peter did not have faith. He got out of the boat, but when he started to sink, what did he say? “Lord, save me!” There was no doubt that Christ could. But do you know what Peter was afraid of? Would He?
Notice Jesus’ response in verse 31, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” Peter began to waver. Will He really do it? Peter thought. Will He really keep me in this situation? Peter had just taken a great step of faith. He got out of the boat, but then he wavered. We often take great steps of faith, then all of a sudden, we are shaken. What have I done? What if the Lord does not come through? That indicates a little faith. That happens because we begin to mix the faith we have with doubt. We were fully confident; but now as we look around and see the circumstances, we wonder if God will do it.
Sometimes I respond the same way. I am sure God will do it. No doubt at all! I say to you, “I am trusting God. He has done it before. He will do it again. " Then I go home and say, “Marilyn, what are we going to do if the Lord does not do it? " At that very moment I begin to mix the faith with doubt. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (v. 31).
In Matthew 16 the disciples were on a preaching tour with Jesus, and they had not taken any bread on the trip. Jesus warned them in verse 6, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They began discussing why Jesus warned them saying, “It is because we took no bread” (v. 7). The narrative continues in verses 8 and 9, “But Jesus, aware of this, said, ‘You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?’” Jesus said they were “men of little faith.” They were worried about having no bread with them. They had forgotten that Jesus had fed five thousand with five loaves. Their faith was wavering. They were men with faith, but they were doubting in the present situation.
We tend to live like that. Every time the Lord does something in our lives, our faith gets a little stronger. But with the next situation we confront, we begin to wonder. Will He come through this time? Then when He comes through with that situation and we get into the next one, what happens? We are afraid He might not come through this time.
In chapter 17 the disciples could not cast out a demon. “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith’” (vs. 19,20). They doubted. They mixed the faith they had with their doubts. They were willing to try it, but they were not sure it would happen.
We need to look back at Matthew 6 to see the context of what Jesus is talking about. He says in verse 30 that God “arrays the grass of the fields.” There is no problem or question about His doing that. Then Jesus asks the question, “Will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” We know He has done it in the past. We know He can do it now. But we waver on whether or not He will do it. God has brought us this far. We are familiar with the song, “We’ve Come This Far By Faith.” There is no doubt that God has brought us here. We are relatively well fed and well clothed. God has provided for us up to this point. What are we worried about now? Will He care for us tomorrow as He has cared for us today? We must be careful about mixing faith with doubts.
Jesus continues in verse 31, “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’” These are the only basics that we must have. We do not need to be concerned about amassing treasure here on earth anyway. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:8 that if we have food and clothing, with these things we shall be content. If God chooses to give more, fine. If He chooses not to give more, fine. All we have to have is the basics.

In verse 32 Jesus gives two reasons why we are not to be anxious. The first statement of verse 32 reads, “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek.” The unbeliever’s life revolves around material things. It is obvious by just being around them and observing what they talk and write about. They are concerned about calamities and catastrophes, about planning with inflation in mind, about what is going to happen to their savings. These things absorb them. What are they going to do in twenty years if inflation eats up their savings? What are they going to do if the western world banking system collapses because of Third World debts? What are they going to do if their money is not worth anything any longer? These are all things the Gentiles, unbelievers, worry about. They focus life on the here and now, the present day, the transitory things of this life. They have to be worried about that because they have their lives invested in it. It makes all the difference in the world to them whether they have something in twenty years.
My God promises to meet my needs. He will see that I have food and clothing. He is doing it today, and He will do it in twenty years if I am here. Should I be worried about whether the western world banking system is going to collapse or whether the stock market is going under? Should I be trying to hoard gold and silver? But then I read that in the Tribulation, a bag of gold will not buy a loaf of bread. Maybe I had better hoard bread and forget the gold and silver!
There is nothing safe in this transitory life. Do you ever go to the bookstores and check the best seller lists? How much of that material is related to planning for financial security? There is a lot of material telling you what you need to do to protect your investments. I am not saying that you should not be wise with what God gives you or that there is anything wrong with planning. Christ is saying that you ought not to be worried about these things. Quite frankly, I do not really care if the western world banking system collapses or if the stock market collapses. I am glad for the benefits of our country and for the freedom we have to serve. I am glad that we are materially prosperous; I enjoy our prosperity. I like to get in my comfortable car and not be rained on. I like to go to my comfortable home, eat a nice meal and prop up my feet. I thank God for all of these blessings. But I thank God that I know I can live without them. He promises to provide the necessities regardless of the circumstances. So I need not worry about the necessities. God will provide for me as He says. But the Gentiles, the unbelievers, have to worry about these things. As believers, we sometimes allow the same pressure to weigh on us. The unbelieving world is so worried about these things and emphasizes them so much that we find ourselves getting worried about them too.
The second reason I don’t have to worry, according to verse 32, is that God knows my needs, “for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” In Matthew 6:8 Jesus said, “for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.” He knows I have to have food, clothing and shelter for my family. So what am I worried about? I am worried that maybe He will not provide.
What would you think if you went downstairs about dinner time and found your child in a sweat on the bed. “Oh boy, I’m in turmoil I need some antacids. ” “What is wrong? ” you say. “Oh, I’m worried that you won’t give me any dinner today.” “Haven’t I given you lunch?” “Yes.” “Breakfast?” “Yes.” “Dinner last night?” “Yes. But I’m worried about whether you will do it this time. ”
“That’s foolish, ” you say. “I know you have to have food, and I’m going to provide it for you. ” “Oh, ” your child replies, “thankyou.” Then you walk out the door and the child proceeds to worry some more. What is the problem? He knows you can provide for him. He knows you have in the past. But he has begun to worry about whether you will. What useless worry!
God knows I have need of these things. He has promised to provide them. Then what am I worried about? I am worried about whether He will keep His word or not. Then I talk to the Lord some more. “Have You seen my checkbook balance this week? Do You really know? Okay, You really know. You have promised to provide. Will You really provide?”
Is God good about keeping His word? Can I trust Him? If I have doubts about that, I will begin to waver. If I decide that maybe He will not keep His word this time, then I end up just like a child: “I know, Dad. You have provided all of my meals for the first twelve years of my life. And I appreciate it. It hasn’t always been my choice, but it has been adequate. I know you have promised to provide my meals for today too. I appreciate that promise. But Dad, I’m worried to death that maybe you will not come through. ”
That is foolish. Yet God is so much more able to keep His word with His children than I am. He says He will provide all my needs according to His riches in glory and tells me not to worry. If the stock market collapses, that does not affect His riches in glory. If the bank system collapses, that does not affect His riches in glory. If inflation goes up four hundred percent, that does not affect His riches in glory. His riches in glory are the basis of His providing for my needs. So why should I be worried? My needs are not tied to the transitory world system. They are tied to God’s riches in glory. I am to have full confidence. Praise God for what we have to enjoy. Praise God that His provision is not tied to things of this life.
In verse 33 Jesus gives a word of exhortation and a promise, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” You must understand that this promise is not given generally to everyone. God has invited others to become members of His family, but He has not made a general promise to meet everyone’s needs. I have not promised to provide food and clothing for everybody in town; I have promised to provide it for my family. So God has done the same thing. He has promised to meet the need of His children.
It is important to see in this context that Jesus is talking to His children. He is exhorting them to have as their first priority of life the pursuit or the zealous seeking of the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
We saw earlier how Jesus talked about this in Matthew 5:20, saying that if your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never see the kingdom. Righteousness and the kingdom are inseparable. For believers today, the focal point of our lives is basically the same. We are to have our attention riveted upon God and glory in His presence and the righteousness He has provided for us in Christ.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Those of us who have experienced God’s righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ should now pursue the outworking of that righteousness in every area of our lives. We are to be conformed to the image of His glory as stated in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” We are to be more and more like Jesus Christ. His righteousness is to be the consuming goal of our lives.
Can I pursue being like Jesus Christ if the stock market collapses? Yes. Can I pursue being like Jesus Christ if any of these earthly things are gone? Yes. That is to be the goal of my life.
If we follow the exhortation of verse 33 to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,” then note the promise associated with it: “And all these things shall be added to you.” Do you need food? He will provide it. Clothing? He will provide it. You do not have to be worried if the pursuit of your life is Jesus Christ and being like Him. He provides the ability for us to work, and He provides the job for us.
This does not mean that we go to full time Bible reading and praying because God will provide our other needs. God has told us that those who do not work do not eat, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. But He provides the opportunity. Our lives are not to be absorbed in the pursuit of things, but in Jesus Christ. When we are obedient, He makes provision for each of these needs.
In the last verse of the chapter Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself [literally, be anxious for itself]. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34). Jesus is saying that each day has enough adversity of its own without anticipating tomorrow’s problems.
When you stop and think of it, where do your worries center? Do they not center on tomorrow? God has provided for your needs today. Do you realize that if you are worrying, you are worrying about tomorrow? Many people worry about what will happen if they lose their jobs, if their business shuts down, or if there is a catastrophe in our country and all of their savings are wiped out. All those worries are about things for tomorrow. The focal point in much of life is tomorrow. Numerous questions are raised about investments and retirement. If you do not have enough savings, how
will you retire? I am not saying there is anything wrong with retirement or savings. But we are not to worry about these things. We do not have to worry about today. It is already here. The things we needlessly worry about are things for tomorrow.
Jesus is saying that He has given you enough for today. You have a place to live, food and clothing. But what about tomorrow? Jesus said there is enough pressure in every day that you do not need to worry about tomorrow. The concentration in my life is to be on what God wants me to do today -- to honor Him today, to trust Him for the provisions for today. I might say I want to trust God, but what I really want is to have what I want in my hand. If you promise to give me a thousand dollars, I have to trust you until I have it in hand. But once you have given it to me, I do not need to trust you anymore, because I already have it. We say we want to learn to trust God every day, but we would like for Him to give us everything we need for the next twenty years. If He did, then we would not have to trust Him anymore. We would like to have a few million dollars stashed away for retirement, then we could talk about how nice it is to walk by faith. After all, isn’t it easier to walk by faith if you have a big bank account! No, it is harder to walk by faith if you have a big bank account.
God wants me to trust Him today. He has met my needs for today, so I must trust Him for tomorrow. I must give my life tomorrow to pursuing His righteousness and to being like Him. I must trust Him to meet my needs and have the same pursuit of my life -- His righteousness and being like Him. That gives me liberty.
Do you know why people do not sleep well at night? It is because they are worried about tomorrow. Jesus tells us right here that each day has enough problems of its own. God has not built us to be able to handle the worries of tomorrow. Each day has an adequate amount of pressure for that day. That does not mean I cannot make plans. We do need to make plans, but we are not to worry about these things. We make plans within the framework that this is what we plan to do. If God changes it, fine. I plan to go to work this week. If I lose my job, I have to trust God to provide what I need. It is amazing how He comes through, often not ahead of time, but just in time.
One commentator I was reading, Martin Lloyd-Jones who went home to be with the Lord a few years ago, a great preacher in Britain, wrote, “We look for tomorrow’s grace today.” God gives us the grace to live in today’s situation with today’s pressure. He has not given us the grace for tomorrow. That will not come until tomorrow. If God causes me to lose my job tomorrow, I do not have the grace for that today. If I develop cancer and am dying before the week is over, I do not have the grace to handle that today. But I believe God will provide the grace day by day as it is necessary. Since I do not have the grace to handle tomorrow’s situations, all I can do when I focus on tomorrow is worry about it, because I fear I will not be able to handle it.
Praise God, He gives us the grace today and enables us to trust Him just for today. Tomorrow He will do the same thing again. Then the next day he will do the same. Peter said, “casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Paul wrote in Philippians 4, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (vs. 6,7). We are privileged as God’s children to live in total confidence and trust in Him, in His sufficiency, in His adequacy and in His willingness to meet our every need. I do not want to be a man of little faith. I do not want to mix doubt with faith.
God has blessed us more than we have ever expected. I anticipate He will continue to do the same thing day by day until Jesus comes. Do you know what it is to have that kind of security and confidence? Do you know what it is to have a Father who can provide and will provide for your every need? You do not have to be in turmoil about today’s needs and tomorrow’s problems. You can have the confident assurance that God has promised to meet every need from His riches in glory. You can have that if you will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, as the One who loved you and died for you and was raised from the dead, because He has secured salvation for all who believe.