(Matthew 6:34)

When you hear this verse, what is the first thing that enters your brain?

Over the years, I have heard basically two responses. First response is ok. This tends to

come from people who do not worry too much. People who tend to go with the flow and

do not get worked up about much. Worry doesn’t seem to affect them much.

The other response is—great now I need to worry about how much I worry. These are

people who tend to worry about everything and even if they know that they worry a lot, it

is difficult to change—it seems to simply be a part of who they are.

In any case, the real question from this verse is what is Jesus trying to say to us? What

does Jesus mean when he tells us not to worry?

If we take Jesus literally in this entire passage, it would be a very different way of life.

Jesus literally says do not worry about what you will wear or what you will eat—for God

provides these things for the birds and the lilies of the field and if He does this for them

surely He will also provide all we need to us. But does Jesus mean that we shouldn’t

plan or work of the details of what we will eat for dinner or where your next pair of socks

will come from?

I do not think so. If we do nothing and say—well God will provide—we will probably

go hungry since food is most like not going to magically appear on our table or have

someone appear out of nowhere to bring us food day in and day out. We need to be

concerned about preparing meals and our wardrobes and other basic necessities.

However, the message that Jesus is attempting to communicate is that we should not

excessively worry about this things. Rather we are to place our trust in God—knowing

that He will provide for us in some way and that He will watch over us, protect us and

sustain in throughout our lives. The message here is to trust in God and not ourselves.

If we think that everything is up to us, then we do not need God and have in essence

become our own God.

This trust in God does not mean that everything is going to go perfectly and that we will

get everything we want and desire—rather trusting in God means that we take confidence

that no matter what comes our way God is there and walking beside us. That when we

fall, He will catch us. That when we stumble, He will stabilize us. That when we are

down, He will lift us up.

Trust in God—for God is a gracious and loving God who will provide, protect and

preserve us through everything.