Why Worry?

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Everyone worries, but do we need to? In this powerful passage, Jesus uses illustrations from nature to answer this question. Have you ever seen birds store food in barns? Or have you seen lilies work to clothe themselves? If you have, it may be time to worry, because this shows that God no longer cares about his creation. But the good news is, you haven’t seen lilies struggle to dress themselves or watched birds plant, harvest, and stockpile food. And if God cares for them, how much more will he provide for us?

It’s easy to let useless worries and “what ifs” consume our thoughts and crowd out our confidence in God as provider. But Jesus says, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus tells us to place our focus on eternal things rather than temporal needs.

So why worry? God is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He knows our needs, and we can trust Him to provide. That frees us to think about building his kingdom rather than fretting about concerns. Let’s allow the worry-free birds and flowers to remind us of God’s constant provision.

Lord Jesus, remove my worries and keep me focused on your kingdom and your righteousness. You know my needs and will provide. Thank you. Amen.

Questions: Give some illustrations from the Bible where God talks about the fact that we need not worry. What is generally the result of worry?