Matthew chapter 6 holds a special place in my heart, particularly verse 25. It resonates with our daily struggles, reminding us, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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?” This verse speaks to the very concerns that often occupy our minds, just as they did for the children of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness. What will I eat? What will I drink? And what will I wear? Because of their focus on what they didn’t have, such as food, water, clothes, etc., The Israelites were the most unhappy, complaining people one might ever want to lead. Ask Moses! Ian MacLaren wrote, “What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.”
Instead, he tells us not to worry. It’s not just for food, shelter, and clothes that make us anxious. We worry about all the different things we have in our complex 21st-century lives. Even though there are those who still have to worry about those things, most of us have all these needs met and then some. But we’re exhorted throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament to trust God and not to worry about anything. “Don’t be afraid” is one of the most repeated phrases in the Bible. I once focused an entire year’s devotions on the “don’t worry” passages in the bible. One that I missed in that year was Jeremiah 1. Verses 17-19. It contains God’s call on Jeremiah to get out of bed and do what God called. It says, “Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them… You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. I am with you and will take care of you.”
Even in the face of daunting challenges, God’s message to Jeremiah was clear: Trust Him, get up, and do what he’s supposed to do. We all encounter overwhelming odds at times, and we all need to take to heart God’s final words to Jeremiah, “I am with you, and I will take care of you.”