“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
We are starting with definitions today!
therefore: for that reason; consequently, that being so, that being the case, then, accordingly
anxious: wanting something very much, typically with a feeling of unease… experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome (on edge. unquiet. in Latin:to choke.)
sufficient: enough, adequate, meeting the need of; abundant; (opposite: inadequate, insufficient)
We tend to be a people that grow anxious pretty quick. Or maybe it is just me? So, I’ll speak to myself LOL. I tend to grow anxious pretty quick. I think I just grew up in an anxious home where I didn’t really know what was coming next. I didn’t know if I was going to be encouraged or rebuked, I didn’t know if we were going to ask for help or not. I didn’t know if I would be talking to someone or not. I just lived in this anxious state physically and mentally, that I truly didn’t know how to handle myself and even in my presentness I still struggle to not live in an anxious state of mind or think negatively first. I think it gets harder because now I am not just caring for myself but for my husband and my five littles.
God tells us throughout the entire bible to not grow anxious, to not worry. Jesus says this in Luke 12:25-26, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?” We literally can do nothing but trust in the Lord? We see in Matthew 6 and Luke 12, how the birds do absolutely nothing, and their needs get met. And do we not think we are of more valuable to the Lord than they? The Lord did not die for the animals, he died for us, those who needed to be forgiven, those who needed reassurance that we are loved, those who no matter how hard they tried they can never get that perfect peace they long for outside of perfect peace himself. What would happen if we truly lived this verse out. We may not always live it perfectly but we strive to because we know that there is freedom when we trust in Him, when we surrender to His way for us. I have tried many times to figure things out in moments where everything looked like it was going up in flames, and I could do nothing to change the situation but sit, pray, not bite my husbands head off, but surrender truly to the Lord’s hand over our life. There are things we can never learn about God if we go the easy route. I’ve said it to myself so many times, that when we choose the easy route we will miss out on seeing the Lord move for real, and see His goodness in our lives and how it can help strengthen someone else’s faith that looks out on us.
One of the definitions of anxiety written in latin means “to choke.” I read that and was like dang we are letting the worries of this world choke us out, we are letting them cut off circulation to our brain, we are letting them create confusion in us, we are letting them give us just a wee bit of brain damage; does that sound un poco loco extreme, probably but that is literally what we are allowing it to do to us. We are allowing it to slowly kill us and keep us from truly walking in the light of the truth that Christ has already told us.
“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” Isaiah 45:3
There is so much treasure that we will not see if we try to focus on rushing out of the moments or even seasons that look dark but in the Lords eyes it is what will lead us to see Him and know Him. The moments where we try to go to the negative is when He desires that we lean into Him that we may rest in His care for us. We read in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” How will we know that He cares for us if we don’t give him what we are worried about?
I am reading with my oldest her first book series, its called, “Secret of the hidden Scrolls” , and in one of the chapters, the main character Peter and his sister Mary are trying to fight off the snake to get the scroll, and Michael the angel shows up to the scene and they are all excited, and Peter asks him after the serpent has been beaten, “why didn’t you come sooner?” Michael responded to them, “I was waiting for you to ask for help.” Peter said, “ah, good to know.” What a beautiful answer and response.
The Lord is waiting for us to ask for help. He is waiting for us to case our worries, fears, anxieties to Him so that he could help us, heal us, restore us, so that He would be glorified through showing us how he truly does care for us.
If I am honest with y’all as we close, is the reason we get so anxious or worried because we have a skewed view of God because of how we were treated or not treated by our parents or those that we thought were people we could trust? Recently, the Lord is taking me on a journey of growing less dependent on people, and more dependent on Him. Lessening my expectation on people not in a bad way but in a healthy way so that when there is a slight letdown it won’t faze me because I know who has me tightly wrapped in His arms, tightly surrounded with His protection and love, grace and mercy, and that when things look shaky and I am worried and scared I can rest my head on the chest of the Father and say, “you love me and I know that you will not let me down.”
The less dependent we are on people, the more secure and at peace we will be.
When I worry and grow anxious over a situation that is out of my control and lean more on people then on God who is stronger and all knowing and knew all this would take place, I will go down a dark spiral that it will be difficult to rise up from.
There have been many moments where our bank account wasn’t looking like what we thought it would. And honesty time, I would cold shoulder my husband rather than just come together and pray that the Lord would show me his glory through the situation. He knows every situation that will happen in our lifetime, and he has given us all the tools we need to be able to walk steadfast and immoveable, confident and in perfect peace, that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly what we can ask, think, or imagine, that HE is God, and owns this world, created this world, and owns the cattle on a thousand hill, that he makes ways out of no ways, like he parted the Red Sea when it was going to be a deadly dead end, but God in His love promised that they would return to the mountain and worship Him. He is the God that when you fell and promised you would keep your mouth shut and spilled some beans and you confess and repent, He will give you in even greater desire to never do it again, to be a better friend that honors their word, whether that friend doesn’t desire to talk to you ever again or they do and the friendship is sweeter because of the trust rebuilt. We don’t have to panic or grow anxious when we see their name pop up on the phone, or when their name is said in conversation, when we seek His face, He will hear us, and lead us to be at rest and stand confident that He is in control.
We can go on and on. About how we need not worry or simply trust God with every season, every circumstance, every financial struggle, every friend issue or family issue, or parent annoyance you may have (lifting my hand high), Matthew 6 tells us this: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Real quick and going back to our definitions for today, therefore, anxious and sufficient, He gives us His word, he shows us and tells us when you feel this don’t let it take you away from abiding in me, therefore don’t worry I am sufficient, I have everything you need, don’t go anywhere else, trust me everything you walk through is to refine you and to ignite you to go into every space you occupy with confidence that you are mine!
As a believer in Jesus Christ may we put our trust in Him alone for every situation that we walk through as it is for one purpose alone to glorify Him and make Him known to every person we encounter. When we let the things of this world dominate us, how can we live a life that is in perfect peace, how can we walk into a burning building and the flames be no more? I may be stretching it when I say this but when we are abiding in Christ and choosing to look to Him and not at everything else around that looks dark or confusing and unknown we get to be a light that shines like He calls us to be, we get to be a herald of the good news we have in Christ, that this world is quickly fading away and behold we await an eternal home only because of the cross of Christ.
We need not worry and grow anxious but “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods. Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” Psalms 16:1,4-11
We are safe when we come to Him.
Troubles come to those who chase others and not Him, who chase to grow themselves and to gain credit. Troubles come to those who trust in themselves and trust in the systems of this dark and fleeting world.
Pull your journal out and write: what is keeping me from coming to Him when it seems like all is going wrong? (trust me its not we just live in a world that is hard and we just need to look to him together daily, so that when we look around we have true hope and peace that this is not our home, that He is returning for us and we can trust Him to strengthen us here in the present, to lead us in the way we should go to see him and know him all the more, that we would know that in Him we have abundant life and pleasures forevermore, there is nothing more pleasing than being at His feet, REJOICE! It can be so much worse… and it is apart from Him)
This blog is not me saying don’t go to people anymore. I am saying to be careful who you do life with. Jesus had 12 disciples, but not all twelve had his heart, knew His intense moments of agony just three. So, my encouragement to us and to myself based on God’s word, allow the Lord to lead you to those who you can trust with your heart, because he has those for you. Will you have opportunity to go deep with someone not among the three absolutely and the Lord will give you the words to say in such a way where that person will hear of His goodness and mercy through you based on all the good he has done in your life, all the good, ugly, confusing, heart breaking, bankrupt looking, rice and beans only seasons, God was still faithful and that is what we are called to proclaim.
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
You are God’s Very Own Possession remember that before you go all frenzy. I know I have to remember before I chop my husband’s head off. We are all doing the best we can to steward what God has given us to proclaim boldly of His goodness and faithfulness to us and even all that we have been able to witness in others lives.
TRUST THE LORD, DO NOT WORRY. BEFORE YOU WORRY LOOK UP AND REMEMBER HIS GOODNESS AND FAITHFULNESS UP UNTIL THIS POINT, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MOMENT WHERE HE HAS LET US DOWN SAINTS!
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