Saturday 23 June
Matthew 6:24-34
People who are given to excessive worry and anxiety often say, ‘But I can’t help it.’ They protest that they are at the mercy of their fears and their overwhelming sense of pending dread. They complain that ‘people just don’t understand’ and they largely resign themselves to fretting about all manner of things, most if not all of which never come about. It is striking that smack bang in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount we encounter a teaching on this most human of human propensities – the propensity to give way to anxiety and worry.
Jesus’ teaching on this subject is similar to that of the Ten Commandments. In the Ten Commandments we are taught: do not murder; do not steal; do not commit adultery. In the same way in the Sermon on the Mount we are taught: do not worry. We are commanded by the Lord not to worry. Except that it’s expressed not as a command but as an invitation not to worry – an invitation grounded in reason.
When it comes to worry, we are encouraged by the Lord to apply what we could call ‘kingdom logic’. The logic of the kingdom is an antidote to all kinds of anxiety and worry. Since Jesus feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, how much more will he take care of his children, created in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:26)? God is our Father and knows everything. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our past, our present and our future. He knows our needs (v. 32).
Excessive worriers, truth be told, often have too much time on their hands. Their focus is often self-centred and not God-centred. This is why Jesus encourages us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Seeking God’s kingdom gets our minds off ourselves and onto God and serving others. The great Second World War leader Winston Churchill wisely said this about worry: ‘When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.’
Lord, preserve and protect me from being overly worried or anxious about my life. Teach me to trust in my heavenly Father who knows all my needs and to cast all my cares and concerns on him.
2 Chronicles 24:17-25 • Psalm 88(89):4-5, 29-34
Matthew 6:24-34
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