The scriptures teach us these verses which you may have already memorized, from Proverbs 3:5-6…
5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)
Learning to depend on God can be quite difficult, especially for those of us who have been taught to depend on ourselves. But God calls for us to do so.
Worry carries a great weight. How many of you woke this morning with something heavy on your heart?
- Maybe it was that stack of bills on your kitchen counter that seems to grow every month.
- Perhaps it was a phone call you’re dreading from the doctor’s office.
- Or maybe it’s that gnawing anxiety about what tomorrow might bring for your family, your job, or our world.
You’re not alone. In our community we’re facing real financial pressures. We see rising costs, job uncertainties, retirement worries, health concerns and more. We have friends and family battling health concerns that keep them and us awake at night. And if we’re honest, many of us are anxious about the future, a future that seems increasingly unpredictable.
The war in Ukraine continues with Putin running out of options, except nuclear ones. The cease fire in Gaza is on again then off again, grocery prices are through the roof, insurance is sky high, the government is shut down and SNAP not available, and health care subsidies are going away meaning many will either go without health care or it will become more difficult to get.
Today however, I want to share with you some of the most counter-cultural words ever spoken. Two thousand years ago, Jesus looked at a crowd of people facing their own financial stress, health concerns, and anxiety about the future, and He said something to them that must have sounded almost impossible:
Don’t worry.
You see, God guards every aspect of a believer’s life. He knows exactly what you can handle and what you can’t. He understands that you have a limit, and he won’t put more on you that you can bear. When we go through trials and difficulties, it is not unlike a recruit going through boot camp – God is developing you into the person He wants you to be. God’s goal is never to defeat you, His goal is to develop you into Christ’s likeness.
Jesus is saying, don’t waste your sorrows, your heartaches, your pain, your suffering, your disciplines.
Don’t waste them by complaining. Don’t give a wrong response by blaming God. Just tell Him, “Lord, I don’t understand it, I don’t like it. It hurts!” Then say, “this is not my choice but Father I’m going to trust you to see me through this situation. I’m going to trust you, because you are the trustworthy one!”
Look at our Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. Jesus taught us to say, “Father, give us this day our daily bread.”
We are so used to being able to run to the store nearby and get bread, milk, dog chow or anything else we want. There is no great burden other than a short trip and the dollars we have to spend.
The stores have big baskets to push around and load our items. There is fresh produce from every corner of the globe right here in our little town. Fresh veggies from Florida, California, Mexico and beyond. There is meat, coffee, medicine, and foods already frozen which we just have to microwave.
And 87% of us use a piece of plastic to pay for it all, hiding the real cost until the bills come in.
Truly we are a blessed people, or maybe a spoiled people. It hasn’t always been this way. It certainly wasn’t that way for the people who first founded our country. They had a few provisions but not much, and what they had was difficult to get.
In the time of Jesus, bread was baked daily. It would spoil after a short while. There were no preservatives (probably a good thing). There was no Walmart, no Amazon.com to get your supplies. Life was simpler, but life was also harder. And to those folks, and to us, Jesus says this. Don’t Worry. Ask God. Father, give us today our daily bread.
Why does He say this? It’s simple, He wants us to rely on God. In Matthew 6 verse 25 He gives us a direct command: “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”
He’s talking about worry – that anxious, consuming concern that robs us of peace and paralyzes us with fear. Why do we worry? Because we’ve been trained to depend on ourselves.
Our culture tells us that security comes from our bank account, our insurance policies, our five-year plans. We worry because we believe the lie that we’re in control, and when that control is threatened, anxiety floods in. But Jesus is about to challenge this entire worldview. He’s going to show us that our worry reveals something deeper – worry reveals where we’re placing our trust.
And friends, if we’re honest, too often we’re trusting in our own ability to provide rather than trusting in our heavenly Father’s promise to provide. What is worry really? WORRY IS FAITH —- IN FAILURE!
In verse 26, Jesus gives us our first lesson in dependence: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. “And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
Jesus is saying, “Look at God’s track record!” Every morning, millions of birds wake up with no savings account, no retirement plan, no grocery store, and yet they sing. Why? Because the Creator has built a system of provision. But notice what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t say birds are lazy or irresponsible.
Birds work incredibly hard – they search for food, build nests, care for their young. But they don’t worry about tomorrow’s meal while they’re eating today’s worm. The point isn’t that we shouldn’t work or plan. The point is that we shouldn’t worry. There’s a difference between responsible planning and anxious worrying. Planning says, “I’ll do my part and trust God with the outcome.”
Worrying says, “It all depends on me.” So, Jesus asks the penetrating question: “Aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” If God feeds the birds, how much more will He care for His children? You are not just another creature to God – you are His beloved child, created in His image, and purchased by the blood of His Son.
Craig Valley Baptist Church, at 171 Salem Ave in New Castle, welcomes you to visit and share in the love of God we have experienced. We meet Sundays at 11AM, with an upbeat service of music, sharing and preaching. You don’t need to dress us, and you won’t be asked to speak, so just come and hang out and meet new and old friends! Questions? Call 540-864-5667 or email pastor@cv-bc.com.
-Pastor Scott Gabrielson