Matthew 6:34

Do not worry about tomorrow, said Jesus in His great Sermon on the Mount, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). Christ gives this command for the third time, likely because He knows our tendency to focus on future cares rather than on the God who holds tomorrow in His hands (Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 23). Jesus teaches the disciples not to be anxious about basic human needs like food and clothing. A faithful kingdom servant does not need to be distracted by the cares of everyday life. Putting our confidence in God means trusting Him to provide everything we need. In Matthew 6:34, Jesus challenges the disciples specifically not to worry about future concerns. He previously taught them to pray for daily bread (Matthew 6:11). We must live in the present. God provides for His servants today and He will be there to help us with the challenges of tomorrow (Matthew 28:20; Psalm 73:23–26). God taught the Israelites this lesson in the wilderness. He fed them with just enough manna for the day. When they tried to store food for the next day, it would rot. We must depend on His faithful supply one step at a time. We face many circumstances that cause anxiety. How do we follow His command to stop worrying? Pray: Philippians 4:6–7 presents our most potent weapon: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (NLT). When you feel anxious, take your concerns to the Lord. Acknowledge that God is with you in that moment. As you tell Him what you need, thank Him for His past faithfulness. This fosters an expectation of His continued care. He responds by giving us supernatural peace that guards our minds. Rely on God’s Grace: The apostle Paul endured a thorn in the flesh that caused him anxiety: In order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). When the problem persisted, Paul relied on the Lord to provide the grace he needed. God’s grace allowed Paul to see how the Lord would be glorified in his struggle. We can defeat worry by trusting that God will provide the grace we need when tomorrow comes (2 Corinthians 12:10). Discipline the Mind: After praying, we must discipline our thoughts: And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). It is difficult to worry when our minds are centered on God’s promises. Lazy thinking produces worry, so we must rely on the spirit of power, love, and self-control that God has given us (2 Timothy 1:7). Take Action: We cannot be dedicated to God if we are devoted to worrying. Worry is a failure to trust and accomplishes nothing (Matthew 6:27–29). Peter advises us to give all our worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7). Sometimes obeying this command requires action: Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9). If fear is consuming your day, study the Scriptures on the topic or seek counsel from your church leaders. Create a biblical plan of action to quash this destructive habit. Jesus calls us to live in the moment and trust Him for every situation. No difficulty is greater than our God. We deal with each problem as it comes through prayer, knowing the Father will be there with us tomorrow. #MoreJoyMinistries