Hard Thoughts
Today’s Verse:
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? ~Matthew 6:25
Our nation and economy are struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people I know are not working due to their companies being shut down; unemployment is at a high; and there is the daily concern of when this will “all go away.” I spoke with someone who is concerned about having baby formula, diapers, and enough money to pay down some credit card bills. This person is having some very hard thoughts about what is going on. Maybe you are or someone you know is having hard thoughts about the current situation. Let us see what Jesus has to say about all this.
We see the pressures.
“What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” We feel the pressure of day-to-day living. There are the financial pressures of being able to take care of our families and pay the bills. There are the family pressures of keeping the household peaceful and productive. There are the mental pressures of anxiety, worry, and discouragement. There are the spiritual pressures of feeling like we have failed God when we miss our Bible reading, prayer time, and church attendance. We feel like we are crushed under the pressure of a gigantic boulder on our back and shoulders.
We see the prospect.
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Jesus asks us to consider how God cares for the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field. If God takes care of them, how much more will He take care of us? We need to pause and think beyond the immediate problems and have faith that God will take care of us. “Are ye not much better than they?” Doesn’t God know that we have basic daily needs? Jesus reminds us that God does not forsake or leave us. Do we have enough faith to believe that God will meet our needs?
We see the priority.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” All of our pressures and difficulties are God’s means to help us recalibrate the true priority in life. We must seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seeking God first means you must be born again. Seeking God first means we are to come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help. Seeking God first means we are to put the things of God and walking in the Spirit as the first priority of life. It means we are to be living in the will of God for our life. Herein lies the secret for overcoming our anxiety for the things we lack. We must put first things first.
We see the practice.
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Jesus said that all these things shall be added unto you. God will provide and care for us. When we put God first, He never fails to add “these things” to us. When this sinks into our hearts, then our daily practice is to not let tomorrow’s worries be today’s burdens. Basic faith is letting God take care of tomorrow. Instead of trying to solve tomorrow’s challenges, we must have faith in God taking care of us. Instead of living under the darkness of hard thoughts, live in the light of heavenly thoughts: God knows and God will provide. Seek God first, and let your hard thoughts become thoughts of peace.
Have an anxiety-free God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Kings 18-20