There are many things that can cause us to worry. We can worry about our health or the health of a dear loved one. We can worry if we will have enough money to pay our bills. We may even find ourselves worrying about the state of affairs of our Nation. There are many things that we could worry about in our world today. There are so many things going on and so many dangers. There are many things that should concern us, but we need to be careful that our concern doesn't turn into a full blown worry fest.
It is all too easy for us to worry about things that are totally out of our control. When we head down the slippery slope of worry we find that we have taken our eyes off of the Lord. When we worry about something our faith in God seems to grow smaller and that is never good. We must remember that everything is possible with God. God is all powerful and there is nothing that God can't accomplish.
We get distracted sometimes when life gets hard. We wonder to ourselves if our situation will ever get better and then sometimes in the midst of our trouble we start to worry. We begin to create these thoughts in our minds of all the things that could go wrong.
One of my favorite passages in Scripture is found in Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus is taking about worrying about our daily needs. We all have worried about something at some point in our lives. I know I have many times. This section of Scripture can bring a great comfort to all of us that find ourselves in a situation where we are worried.
Matthew 6:25-34 says,
25 “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 than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
In these verses we find Jesus telling His disciples and us that we are not to worry about our lives. There will be times when we are tempted to be worried about our daily needs and our physical health. There will be times when our circumstances turn from bad to worse and we want to start to worry, but Jesus tells us to look at the birds of the air as a reminder to us of God's care for His creation.
God provides for the birds who don't sow seed and store things in barns. The Heavenly Father provides the birds food even when things seem bleak. About a year and half ago I bought a new DSLR camera and started to take pictures of God's creation. I loved taking pictures of the beautiful fall leaves, but now as winter approaches here in Northern Maine where I live the leaves are now gone leaving behind a somewhat colorless landscape. Things look bleak right now with the fall colors all gone. Today, I decided to go to the local community park that we have in the town where I live to take pictures. I was hoping to find some birds and I did. There were a lot of trees with no leaves on them, but in one section of the park there was this tree with all kinds of red berries. They looked like cranberries to me, but I am not exactly sure what they are. I do know that the birds really liked them because there where many birds feasting on them.
It was an amazing sight to behold. The brown and gray landscaped looked dead, bleak, and colorless except for those red berries that shimmered in the fall sunshine. The birds weren't worried at all about where they were going to find food. They weren't pacing back and forth in their nest wondering where their next meal would come from. The Lord provided for the birds and if the Lord takes such great care for the birds how much more will the Lord take care of us.
We can trust our God to provide for our needs as well we just need to trust Him. There will be times of trouble and there will be times of suffering, but we can trust the Lord to be with us each step of the way no matter what happens. When we need a reminder of God's goodness and His provision may we look at His creation and how He takes such good care of other creatures.
The Lord Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and when we do we can be assured that the Lord will grant us all that we need. It may not be the things that we think we need, but we can know that God will give us what we genuinely need. God is good and He is our provider. We just need to trust Him and not be worried.
When worry starts to attack us may we lean upon the Lord and go to Him in prayer knowing that He loves us and He will take care of us.
Lord, Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your beautiful creation that reminds us of Your care for us.
Help us not to be stuck in worry, but help us to trust in You more.
I uplift those who are worried about things in this life and I pray that You will deliver them from that worry and fear.
Replace the worry and fear in our lives with a greater love and trust in You Lord.
We praise You and thank You for all that You do and will do in our lives.
Praise the Lord!
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.
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