Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25–27
“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?
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?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
When was the last time you worried about something? What were you worried about? Perhaps there’s something right now that is worrying you — that keeps you up at night or makes your heart race when you think about it.
I remember a speaker once suggesting having a Worry Box. The idea was to write down your worries and put them in the box throughout the week, then at the end of the week, go through the box and see if it was worth worrying about all the things you wrote down. I found this a helpful suggestion, and you might too.
Life certainly isn’t easy, and at any given moment, I’m sure each of us could think of all the things in our lives that worry us. The family member we’re concerned about, the upcoming exam we don’t feel prepared for, the result of a medical test we’re waiting on, the decision at work that could change our career. Life is life, and we’re assured of challenges along the way. Some big, some small. Some worth worrying about, some not so much. But these verses in Matthew 6 remind us that worrying, a lot of the time, is not helpful.
I love that Jesus commands us not to worry. It’s not a suggestion, not a life hack, just plain words for us to put into practice — “Do not worry.” Jesus also points his listeners to the birds of the air and how God looks after them, then reminds his listeners of their value to God — “Are you not much more valuable than they?”
When worries start to consume me, I’m reminded that God never intended us to do this life alone. He promises to be with us, through thick and thin. We read in Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
I find that when I start to worry about things, the best thing to do is to take those worries straight to God in prayer. Often, there is nothing I can do about the situation, or I would have already taken those steps. So, praying about my worries is surrendering them to God — trusting him with the process and with the outcome.
So next time you see a bird flying about freely, without a care in the world and having a good old chirp, remember that you are even more valuable to God than that bird, and that he wants to take care of you, listen to your worries and concerns, and be part of your life. I encourage you to let God in. To lay those burdens down and trust him with your worries, through prayer.
Dear Lord,
Thank you that you promise to be with us, in all the ups and downs of life. Help us not to try to carry our worries on our own, but instead, to release them to you so that you can comfort us.
Amen.
Renata Rankin
Director of Identity, Formation and Service
