Worry is a chronic fear. It is not bad enough to paralyse thoughts and decisions; instead, it takes over the horizon of the mind and makes everything else revolve around it - creating stress and displacing other priorities. Jesus said, "Do not worry", because that kind of thinking excludes God who is the Source of all good things, the Carer of all His children and the Commander of every today and tomorrow. However faithful we may seek to be as followers of Jesus, the moment we allow worry to take over, we push God to the touchline of our life, grieving His Holy Spirit and draining our souls of joy.
You may say that, surely, we are hard-wired to identify danger and risk and take measures to mitigate them. Yes, but human beings are also almost incapable of making good decisions about circumstances we have never encountered. In short, we are not clever enough, strong enough or wise enough to meet every challenge. And so, we worry, trying to find a solution through ever decreasing circles of thought until we become exhausted. By contrast those who trust in the Lord are lifted above their abilities by the reassurance of God’s powerful Word. (Psalm 94:19; Psalm 119:143).
God, by definition, is in charge of everything, and has the power to show kindness to all who trust Him. Those who are His family should know this and rejoice daily. If the birds are fed out of His food store, will He be any less kind to us who look for our daily bread? Indeed, Jesus commanded us to ask Him to supply that need (Luke 11:3, Luke 11:9-10). Although Jesus uses birds to illustrate His point, human beings are not just bigger animals with bigger brains: we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We are created with the capacity to relate with God and to receive His love, mercy and grace. Will He not therefore supply all our needs? The Apostle Paul said, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Of course, there is a big difference between what we need and what we want. The sinful nature will always push our shopping list beyond the provision God knows we need: He has promised to enable us to meet our responsibilities and serve Him. But our inner craving to please ourselves will invent all sorts of 'essentials' that have no place in God's purpose for our lives; and usually the consequences of these ambitions leave us unfulfilled and worrying. But when it comes to the essentials of life, God is always faithful. Psalm 37:25 says, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread". Our lifespan on earth is limited: God knows exactly when it will end, and until then He will supply all our needs. So it is pointless to worry ... worse than that, it shows that our confidence in God's kindness has evaporated! If we know that our eternal destiny is safe in Christ and that our lifespan is in God's hands ... why worry, when He has promised to provide for every need every day?
