Matthew 6:26–27

“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

The most useless thing that you can say to a person who is worrying is: “Don’t worry.” No doubt it is meant kindly, but you are actually increasing the person’s problems, because you have done nothing to stop their worrying and now added a layer of guilt on top! I love Jesus’ approach. He tells his followers that they have no need to worry because God will provide for them. If he is able to look after the birds and the flowers, he can certainly cope with their problems. Trusting God is the answer. Worrying has never, and can never, build anything.

I do realise that those wise words don’t in themselves solve the problem. Worries will still come knocking at the door wanting to claim our attention. So what shall we do when the next worry turns up? The best thing that we can do is to bring that worry to God in prayer. Perhaps it’s a worry about your health. Give thanks to God for the gift of your life and remind yourself that every single day is a gift from his hand. You have never deserved to be alive, and your body is a gift from him. Give thanks to God that he is at work in your life right now and that you will continue to be his child for all eternity. Having prayed those prayers your concerns for your health won’t suddenly evaporate, but it is possible to keep the worries at bay. They don’t need to dominate your life. Perhaps your worries are for other people. You are powerless to change their situation but as you pray for them you start looking at their lives within a bigger perspective. You can leave them in God’s hands knowing his love for them and his desire to bless them.

Question

What are you going to say instead when you are next tempted to say: “Don’t worry”?

Prayer

Lord God, thank you that you perfectly provide for my needs and that I have no need to worry. Amen

Released on 21 Aug 2024