I’m sure we’d all say that life should be about God, but sometimes worry gets in the way. We become consumed with our own needs or concerns. So let’s see how Matthew 6:25 can speak to us.
“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?” (verse 25)
We get confused sometimes and worry about the unimportant. Jesus says that our needs aren’t the most significant thing! Worry can obscure our vision, making us unable to see God’s important role in our lives. It’s our relationship—our life—with Him that is significant, not our clothing or food. Jesus is not saying we shouldn’t take responsibility for our lives or that we should be careless about the future. But He doesn’t want us to be worried, anxious, or distracted by the very needs that God has every intention of meeting.
Notice the emphasis in that verse upon my own needs. He addresses those who are selfishly thinking only about themselves: “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” and “What are we going to wear?” Worry does that to us! It creates insecurity in God’s ability to provide, and then we focus on ourselves. It creates an argumentative spirit within us that says, “What about me? It’s all about me!”
That was our daughter Darcy’s attitude when she was a teenager, arguing with us about our decisions. A strong-willed girl, she could out-debate anyone. We kept telling her, “Please grow up and be an attorney. You’ll be able to take care of us in our old age!” But in the meantime, however, I was frantic as I tried to convince her I was the mother and she was not!
One day I heard of a wonderful retort for Darcy’s persistent questioning. From then on I became a “broken record.” If Darcy was merely arguing for the sake of argument rather than looking for truth, I calmly said, “Regardless of your argument, do what I said.” I kept saying that even though she continued to argue. In time she realized that her questioning wasn’t working and she replied, “Don’t say, ‘regardless!’” Then I said, “Nevertheless, do what I said!”
I wonder if that is God’s response to us when we ask, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?”
He’s saying, “Regardless, I will provide for you! I’m God! You’re not! Let me sovereignly take care of you!”
You may not have a sense that you are arguing with God, but that may be what you are doing when you ask, “Are you going to take care of me, God?”
(Excerpt from Partly Cloudy With Scattered Worries)