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John 3:16-17
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John 3:16-17
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After resigning from a ministry job as a whistleblower, I suddenly realized I was unemployed. We anticipated that our income would drop, but those worries didn't pay the bills. As I added every expense to our budgeting app, I would sometimes space out while staring at a Google doc, trying to see if I had forgotten any major bills that might come due soon. The mental planning felt productive, but then it never ended. There was always another scenario where things didn't work out.
Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life-span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don't worry, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear?" For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This passage is often used to shame anxious people, and that's a tragedy. Jesus isn't dismissing our feelings or calling anxiety a character flaw. Instead, he's exposing the lie that worrying is a productive activity. Endlessly replaying scenarios doesn't give us control, but it does wear us out. When Jesus asks if worry adds a single hour to our lives, I usually want to say, 'No, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something.' He knows that. He's not mocking us. Because he cares about us, he wants us to stop using a tool that doesn't work. So, what's the alternative? It's remembering that we have a good heavenly Father who knows about all our needs. The birds don't have to feel anxious because their Creator feeds them. The lilies aren't hustling because someone else clothes them. You and I have the same good Father. The invitation isn't to stop planning or caring about the future, but to trust that God is watching out for us.
What's one thing you've been worrying about that you know you can't actually control?
Jesus says your Father knows what you need "before you ask." Does that feel comforting, or does it bring up something else? Be honest. There's no wrong answer here.
In this passage, "seek first the kingdom" just means trusting God and caring for others instead of anxiously rehearsing the future. What would that look like for you this week?
Pick one recurring worry and write it on paper. Below it, write: 'My Father knows my needs.' Put the paper somewhere you'll see it tomorrow morning. When you see it, take one slow breath and let the words sink in. If you're doing this with a friend, text them a picture of what you wrote.
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