Matthew 6:25-34 reads, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith. Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall I eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Fro after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (NKJV)

Did you notice a word that is repeated over and over again in this passage? The word “worry” is found no less than SIX times! The main thought in each occurrence is that we should NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE. We shouldn’t worry about what we’re going to eat, drink, or wear (verse 31), for God knows all about these “necessities of life” (verse 32) and He will surely provide for all our needs if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (verse 33). If we do find ourselves worrying about these things we are guilty of two things:

1) We are NOT trusting the Lord to meet them, which is a SIN. One has said that worrying about the future is sin because it denies the love, wisdom, and power of God. It “denies His love by implying that He doesn’t care for us”; it “denies His wisdom by implying that He doesn’t know what He is doing”; and it “denies His power by implying that He isn’t able to provide for our needs.”

2) We are acting like the unsaved who live only for material things. Verse 32 states, “For after all these things the Gentiles seek.” The unbeliever lives only for the “here and now” and for those things that will satisfy the desires of their bodies and minds. The Lord Jesus said in Luke 12:15: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” If our hearts our occupied with “material things” instead of “the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” we are sending a message to the world that the main purpose in life is to accumulate and possess material wealth.

What is the remedy for worrying? There are many verses that provide the answer to this question but one of my favorite passages is Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” To “be anxious for nothing” means we “won’t be worrying about anything” and this is possible through prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. If there is any concern about food, drink, clothing, or any other need we have, we simply need to bring those needs to the Lord in prayer. We need to be “specific” (which is what “supplication” means) and we need to be “thankful” for everything God has provided for us. If we do this, worry will vanish from our lives and it will be replaced by “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.” (244.5) (DO)