One Day at a Time

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:34

This verse comes at the end of a very familiar passage of Scripture. This is a part of the Sermon on the Mount and in this section, Jesus is admonishing us to not be anxious about our lives (v. 25).  He first points to the lesser things and reminds us that God knows everything we need. God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and they are here today and gone tomorrow. You and I are much more valuable than these so we can have the utmost confidence that God is going to take care of us. Those who don’t know God are on their own and must figure things out for themselves. They don’t have God as their Heavenly Father who is watching over them and providing for them because they have rejected him. But we are beloved by God and, as his children, God continuously has his eye on us.
 
Jesus says in conclusion, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (6:31-33).” The reason we don’t worry like unbelievers is because we know that our Heavenly Father knows everything we need before we even say it. He knows we need it before we even know we need it. It is important to recognize that God does not promise us everything we want, but that he will give us everything we need to glorify him in our life. We can see his kingdom above all else because he has our backs.
 
He then concludes with the verse we saw at the beginning of this devotion. He tells us not to be anxious about tomorrow. There is sometimes a worry, fear, or dread of the unknown. Sometimes we may have an idea of what is going to happen, and it paralyzes us. There are a lot of reasons we could be anxious about tomorrow. We can be anxious about what we don’t know, and we can be anxious about what we do know. We can be anxious about what might happen. How does worrying change the future situation? Generally, it doesn’t. Jesus said, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life (v. 27)?”
 
Jesus tells us to focus on today and trust God in the midst of it. Let tomorrow take care of itself because soon enough it will be today, and God will be with you during it. There are enough issues and concerns today to focus on them and not allow our hearts and minds to be anxious about the future. Practically, how do we do this? Peter says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Humble ourselves and pour out our worries and anxieties to God in prayer. Remember how much he cares for us!
 
Paul adds, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).” Rejoice, trust, and pray. We can’t control the situations we face in life, but we can rest in the God who does.