Do Not Be Anxious (Part 1)
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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.”
Matthew 6:25-31
In this passage Jesus first gives us the principle, “Do not be anxious about your life.” Then he gives us the basis for this attitude, “God is attentive and gracious to those who are his children.” He then concludes with how we should respond to this truth, “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” We will spend the next couple of weeks unpacking what we can learn from what Jesus is teaching his disciples.
First, Jesus tells us to not be anxious about life. Life is hard. People are sinful. We are sinful. We face sickness and injury. Because of the fall death is an ever-present specter in life. Left to ourselves, it is easy to be anxious about life. Life is uncertain and danger lurks behind every corner. Fear is a natural, human response to potential danger. How can Jesus tell us not to be anxious? Let’s clarify one thing in the beginning, there is a difference between anxiety which reflects a lack of trust and concern which takes the situations of life seriously. It is right to be concerned about life. Jesus is not calling us to be callous, indifferent, or cavalier about life. He is not saying don’t look before you leap or don’t consider the long-term consequences of actions. It is good to think, plan, and strategize. Having plans is a good thing, but we hold them loosely giving space to God to redirect us. Some people use faith as an excuse for foolish decisions then have the audacity to blame God when they get in trouble.
Secondly, he tells us what areas we are not to be anxious, all of life. What we eat, drink, and wear point to the most basic, daily, essential necessities of life. If we are not to be anxious about these, we should not be anxious about the other aspects of life which are not foundational to staying alive. I think it goes without saying that Jesus is not thinking here of designer clothes and gourmet meals. He also gives us an initial reminder, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing.” Even though food and clothing are essential for living, there are things more important than these. Jesus is reminding us that our goal is to glorify God and serve him. We are not to make seeking earthly possessions or wealth our goal or our god. Our focus is not to be on material things which will blind us to spiritual reality and darken our hearts. We can focus on God and let him take care of us.
Thirdly, he gives us an example. Here Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater. The birds of the air are a dime a dozen, yet God cares for them and provides for them. The lilies of the field bloom momentarily then they die, and yet God crowns them with beauty. If God takes care of them, will he not take care of you? Of course he will! Besides that, being anxious has no real power to change anything. Think of all the emotional energy you have expended worrying about your situations, how many of them were changed by the amount of energy you spent worrying about them? The answer is none of them were changed by how much you worried. What will change them, calling out to your Heavenly Father and trusting that he loves you and cares for you. We’ll look at this passage more next week.
