Jump Start # 394
Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Worry—that demon that fills our hearts with fear, steals our sleep at night, and robs our appetite for life. We worry. Jesus tells us don’t, but we do. This section of the sermon on the mount is very intense.
- Jesus tells the disciples not to worry (v. 25, 31, 34).
- He tells them that worry doesn’t change things (27).
- He asks them, ‘why are you worried’ (28)
Worry is really a faith problem. We don’t like to admit that, but it is. That’s the direction Jesus goes with this in His thoughts. The birds are taken care of by God, aren’t you worth more than birds? Trust God. The flowers are beautiful, they don’t get that way by worrying. God provides. Trust God. The greater our trust the less we worry. The more we worry, the less we trust. That’s just how it works.
Our verse today is the one area of worry that so many of us have trouble with. We worry about tomorrow. We bring tomorrow into our today. There is so much that may happen tomorrow. We just want it all to be fixed, solved and smoothed out before we get there. We want to know that the kids will be ok. They will find good jobs, marry well. We want to know that our retirement funds will pay off as we are planning. We worry about tomorrow.
Jesus says, ‘tomorrow will care for itself.’ We live with today, not tomorrow. This is not to say that we don’t plan for tomorrow. The farmer who plants is anticipating a harvest, not on the day he plants, but tomorrow. We save for retirement, which will be used not today, but tomorrow. The Proverbs reminds us that the slothful or lazy man doesn’t have because he didn’t prepare. The wise man uses the illustration of the ant, that is always busy. The Lord is not saying spend all you have today, live for today, don’t think about tomorrow—that’s not the thought here. He is talking about worry. Don’t bring tomorrow’s problems into today. Don’t anticipate. Don’t fear what is not there. When you get to the next day, you will deal with the things there. Things tend to change and we can’t figure out tomorrow, because things may not be the same. You can’t life a lifetime in one day. You make plans for tomorrow, but they may have to be adjusted or even changed once you get there. Don’t fret about that now.
Secondly, the Lord tells us that each day has enough trouble of its own. Isn’t that the truth. We didn’t need the Lord to tell us that, we know that from living it. There is trouble today! Problems…crisis…issues…heartache…disappointments…failures…sins…big stuff! And that’s just on today’s menu. Get through today. You have enough in your heart with today that you don’t need to squeeze in tomorrow. You need the Lord today to make it.
A strange thing about worry, once the crisis has passed, we tend to forget about it. Most of us don’t remember what we worried about three years ago. At the time, it was major. We got through it. Life took us further down the road. New problems. New adventures. The old worries past. God helped us. God got us through. We tend to forget that. I think this is what Jesus was trying to get the disciples to see. God has been there for you. He is always there for you. He will get you through. The trouble of today is not carried by you alone, God is with you. This is more than a discourse on worry, it is a lesson about realizing the value of God and how much God loves you and cares for you. God is active in your life. We sometimes don’t see it or realize it, but He is. He loves you. He wants the best for you—and that may not be financial as we’d like it to be, as it is spiritual. God wants you to grow in love and trust of Him.
A new quote I saw the other day, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, God is already there!” He’s there before we are. He’s there before our problems are. He’s there. But He’s also here, today. Live for God today. Make today a good day with God. Bring glory to God in what you do.
Don’t worry—easy to say. Hard to do. With God it is possible. Without Him, impossible!
Roger