The last half of Matthew 6, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, is probably familiar to each of us. In my Bible verses 19 thru 34 are divided into two sections. Two sections that go together. The first is “God and Possessions,” which covers where our treasures are found.
The second section is titled, “The Cure for Anxiety,” and covers worrying about what we will eat, drink and wear. This section also has the wonderful pictures of the birds of the sky fed by the hand of God and the lilies and wildflowers of the field decked out in God’s splendor.
Treasures and Anxiety often walk together. When we have possessions, we worry about losing them. When we don’t have possessions, we worry about getting them.
Proverb 30:8b-9: “Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.” [HCSB]
Perhaps Jesus had this Proverb in mind when He included in The Lord’s Prayer, “Give us today our daily bread.” [Matthew 6:11]
How precious these verses are today. In an uncertain economic time punctuated by inflation, shortage, looming recession, and increasing government and personal debt, many of us are anxious. Will we have enough? Will what we have be taken from us? Those questions often dart into our minds.
Yet we are assured that God knows not just these questions but holds the answers in His hands. Like birds of the sky and flowers of the field, His children are precious in His sight.
Today I ponder the question, “Am I Worried?”
