How Much More Will You

When Jesus addressed anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34, He urged the listener to look at the created order. The birds were provided by God. The lilies of the field grow because of God.

The birds and the lilies are sustained by God. How much more will you be sustained by God? How much more is the person who trusts in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? How much more is the person whom Jesus died for on the cross?

If God sustains His creation, He will all the more sustain the people whom He shed his blood for. God has sustained the least of His creation; from the birds to the lilies. He will certainly make sure to provide for the people whose souls He deems infinitely valuable than the world that it took the life of His Son to free us from the bondage of sin and death.

Jesus reminds us to gaze on His creation during our anxious moments because the sustenance of the creation points to the comforting truth that God does not abandon what He created. He continually sustains and governs His creation. He does that for us too. Amazingly, our Father governs all things for His glory and our good. And our Loving Father will always provide for our needs the moment we need it.

Let us not be anxious because we are much more valuable than the birds and the lilies. Let us cast our cares on the hands that bled for us. He is always in control.

When Circumstances Overwhelm You

There are times in my life that circumstances overwhelm. In these overwhelming moments, I panic, become anxious, and overthink. Deadlines at work, problems at home, pressures due from unmet goals, sickness, suffering, pain, broken relationships, and loss of a loved one might overwhelm us. Unwanted circumstances might burden us to despair, fear, sadness, and anxiety.

So, what do we do when circumstances overwhelm us?

The apostle Paul also found himself in an overwhelming circumstance. He was put in prison while he wrote Philippians. But amazingly, he still encouraged the readers of his letter to “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” When we focus on overwhelming circumstances, we lose our joy. But when we focus on the Lord who is in complete control over our overwhelming circumstances, our hearts will be at peace. The object of Paul’s joy does not depend on the volatility and unpredictability of circumstances but his joy depends on the stability and trustworthiness of His Savior.

Brethren, this should be the case for us as well. Our God keeps us and holds us in the palm of His hand. No overwhelming circumstance can snatch us away from Him and that alone matters. He makes no mistake in allowing overwhelming circumstances to happen to us. As a matter of fact, He uses these things as tools to refine us to be more like Jesus Christ. He uses all things for our good. (Rom. 8:28) How comforting that truth is.

Let us surrender our burdens to God because we are not designed to bear the crushing weight of our burdens. Only God can do that. And He will bear our burdens and cares because He deeply cares for us. (1 Pet. 5:7) Let us cry out our pain and sorrows to God knowing He is near to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. (Psa. 34:18-19) Let us seek the peace that surpasses the understanding that God gives to those who cast all things before His throne of grace in prayer and supplication. (Phil. 4:6-7)

God does not promise a storm-free life. Rough and overwhelming storms that want to make us sink are to be expected from this sin-stained and broken world with broken people in it. Nevertheless, He promises a storm-free heart through the peace that He will give us because He is our sovereign God in complete control of whatever storms might befall us. By His almighty power, He can calm the storms. How much more are our hearts?

Do Not Be Anxious

There are times in my life when I am anxious about the things that are beyond my control – when it happens in a way that I do not expect it to happen. God fully knows that we are people who are prone to be anxious that’s why Jesus talked and addressed anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34.

Jesus offered reasons why we should not be anxious. As we meditate on these reasons, may we worry less and trust God more.

The first reason is that our heavenly Father provides for us. Jesus said that we should not worry about our lives – what to eat, what to drink, and what to put on because our heavenly Father fully knows that we need these things. He further compared us with the birds which he feeds even when the birds do not make any effort to provide for themselves . He compared us to birds and asked, “Are you not more valuable than they?” Jesus wanted to point out that God provides even for the least of His creatures, how much more people whom His Son has died for at the cross? Our souls are more precious than the birds because Jesus died for us. If God could provide for soulless creatures whom He did not die for then He will surely provide for His people whose souls are immeasurable valuable because the blood of Christ has been shed for them.

The second reason that Jesus provided is that by being anxious over things, we can never add a single hour to our span of life. (Matt. 6:27) Jesus appealed to the sovereignty of God over our lives which could not be stopped even when we worry too much. What’s bound to happen will inevitably happen according to the plan of God. Us being anxious over things won’t change anything to the secret plan of God. It won’t change the time of our death or even add hours to our lives. Everything even the our lives are already predetermined, fixed and appointed by God. Worrying about these things is like putting ourselves in the position of God who alone could plan and bring about the events that are happening.

The third reason that Jesus mentioned to address anxiety is to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33) We are anxious because instead of seeking the kingdom of God, we seek the kingdom of self. We are anxious of how our bosses would rate us in our work performance because we want to make a name for ourselves and earn big for ourselves. We are anxious of what people think because we want our name to be honored. Due to sin, we are naturally self-seeking and self-centered people. In light of that, we worry because we have a name to protect, a self-centered kingdom to build, and self-exalting agenda to pursue. But, when we shift our focus from seeking a kingdom for ourselves to seeking the kingdom of God. We don’t worry over things because it’s not about us anymore but it’s now all about God. And, since it’s about the kingdom of God, He will do whatever it takes to advance His kingdom and His name. He will give us all the necessary things to advance His kingdom. We need not worry because He will provide for us because it’s for the work of His kingdom.

Whenever anxiety creeps in, may we remind ourselves that we have an all-knowing heavenly Father who will provide our needs at the time when we need it. May we be reminded that our God is in control of every details of our lives. He has planned everything. When bad things happen, we know that we can trust His heart behind the plan because He is committed to bring about what is good for us. And, may we, by His grace, continually seek His kingdom and forget ourselves in the process. As we seek Him above all, He gives everything that is necessary for the advancement of His kingdom.

As we trust in Him as our all-knowing providing and loving sovereign Father and as we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, we can never do this apart from total dependence in Him. And, this dependence is manifested in prayer. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

May these reasons be an antidote for our anxiety because the One who provided the reasons is the One who created us and upholds us with the power of His word. He is the One who truly and fully knows how to address our anxiety because He is our Maker. May we trust in Him all the more and surrender everything at His feet through prayer.