Do not worry about tomorrow
Matthew 6:34 Jesus reminds us that worry doesn’t accomplish anything and removes the Kingdom of God from our attention.
““So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:34 NASB1995
It often surprises and disappoints me at how much time we humans spend worrying about things in the future. That’s probably because we think that our thoughts can somehow change the outcome of future events to be favorable, when actually we have very little control! Many of us are not only concerned about what’s coming up the next few days, but we stretch it out for months or even years.
Today’s verse comes from Jesus as part of the Sermon on the Mount. Barb wrote an excellent series of devotionals about this timeless sermon that encompassed over two months of detailed study. The link in this paragraph points to a summary of the sermon, which contains most of the central tenets of Christianity.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus is pointing out the anxiety we have over materials things, all of which pulls our attention away from the Kingdom of God. He uses the example of the birds of the air, “which neither sow nor reap or gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them”, as well as the lilies of the fields that “neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
He is telling the people that God knows what their needs are, and that by putting His Kingdom first, He will always provide. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:34 that if we do exhibit the human trait of worry, we are to worry only about the things of today. So often we worry about things we have no control over, expending a lot of emotion and stress over foolish things.
God wants us to live in the present day. Sure, we can remember the past and plan for the future; both traits are good. But focusing too much on either the past or the future can cloud our vision of today and the troubles it may bring!
Jesus reminds us that needless worry about tomorrow or endless regret about the past can dampen the joy of the present. The “peace of God that surpasses all comprehension” (Philippians 4:7) is impossible to experience without extinguishing the fire of worries with the Living Water of Christ.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
God, You are unchanging through all time. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring, but we do know that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Help me to realize that all my frenzied worry cannot affect tomorrow, can’t help me control what may happen, and it can never change what has happened in the past. You are always good, and You are always looking out for me. Teach me to entrust every day to You. You alone hold my day, and I can seek refuge from my cares and concerns in You. I pray this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.