Matthew 6:25-34

Don’t Be Anxious

As we come to these words in verses 25-34 it’s almost like we’ve been in the living test for these verses this year. As our natural tendency would have it, we would have many things to worry about this year.

So many things in our lives have this tendency to make us anxious. This word that is used here for anxiety is a word that is derived from the word for worry. And we know that the word “worry” means to strangle.

Listen to these sayings I found about worry or anxiety.

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”

“If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.”

“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere”

“A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.”

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”

I think it’s safe to say that some of us seem to have more of an issue with this than others, but to some degree we all have to deal with this right?

Let’s dig into what Jesus has to say about this.

v.25) Therefore, do not be anxious

He uses a “therefore” here so we know that he’s referring back to the “treasuring up in heaven” theme discussed in the previous verses.

He says in verse 19-24 how we should treat our wealth, and now in these verses, he’s going to tell us how we deal with this when we are in need of the necessity.

We might have read the previous verses and thought it didn’t apply to us, but now we read these verses and we see that these are necessities right? Food, water, clothing. Those are necessities.

So, we know God doesn’t want us to have the wrong attitude about our wealth right?

Here we see that God doesn’t want us to have the wrong attitude about the essential things also.

v.25) Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Jesus makes a clear statement here that life is more important as a whole than the parts that make it up. Life as a whole is more important than food itself, water itself, clothing itself.

That’s a good reminder right? I mean, if I’m honest, food is pretty important to me… I need a reminder that food isn’t all there is… LOL!

But he’s serious when He says here that we need to take some perspective to how we are treating the necessities of life, and not treating them as more important than life itself.

Some people now days think toilet paper is more important than life!

v.26) Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

This is such a good illustration. By the way, one of the reasons Jesus was the best teacher that ever lived is because He used such great illustrations to drive the point home with us.

He could have said - DON’T BE ANXIOUS! And then we, like little kids say “but why?” And He could have said - “BECAUSE I SAID SO, THAT’S WHY!”

But he didn’t. Jesus is much kinder and gentler than that. He uses an example here that helps us understand.

He says - look at the birds...

I can just imagine that Jesus was there teaching on the hillside of the Sea of Galilee and He was looking out over the sea, and there were probably birds flying by - and He says - “Look up! Look at these birds”

Who takes care of the birds? God does. God provides everything they need.

The birds don’t hoard their stuff. Birds get what they need when they need it.

Now, this also isn’t a license to be lazy. It isn’t a license for us to sit around with our mouths open waiting for God to rain some worms down on us lol. God wants us to work if we are able! We have a problem in this country that a lot of people that ARE able to work, don’t - just because they can figure out a way to live on the government or assistance of some kind.

v.26) Are you not of more value than they?

He states the facts very clearly here. Are you not more valuable than the birds that I take care of every day?

Why does Jesus tell us not to be anxious? Because we have a loving, Heavenly Father that created us in His image. The birds weren’t created in God’s image, we were.

You’ve probably heard this before, but it fits here pretty good.

“The Robin and the Sparrow" Said the robin to the sparrow, “I should really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so.” Said the sparrow to the robin, “Friend I think that it must be, That they have no Heavenly Father, Such as cares for you and me.”

We have a loving and caring Heavenly Father that loves us perfectly, and He has all of the resources to provide for us what we need, when we need it. Trust God to provide you what you need when you need it.

v.27) And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Oh don’t we know this all to well. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything. Here, Jesus says - it can’t lengthen your life. It can’t extend your days on this Earth. Do you know that you and I have a pre-set number of days on this Earth according to God? We do. And I might add that nothing we do in this life can add or take away from that plan that God has.

No amount of exercise or clean-eating can lengthen the days that God has planned for you. Our society is consumed with this whole diet and exercise thing. Why is that? Because they want to live longer.

Now, that obviously doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t exercise and eat healthy. We should! But we shouldn’t make diet and exercise such a priority that we lose the meaning of it. Diet and exercise according to God’s plan isn’t necessarily to make you live longer, but to be more useful to His Kingdom while you’re here!

Worry can’t add to our life. But it sure can take it away, can’t it?

So, what do we take from this?

Psalm 31:15 says “My times are in your hands”

We can look to God to provide for us when we don’t see a way forward. He will make a way when there seems no way. We can trust that He is faithful. That’s why we can rest that “our times are in His hands”