GOD SPEAKS

And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own. MATTHEW 6:27-34 [NASB]

What are we most worried about?  We often see people worrying about the needs of this world. That is very common. The above passage teaches us not to worry about the needs of this world. It is because God will surely bless His children with them. What’s more is that people seem to worry more when they are struggling and facing the problems in their life. For the most part, these are self-inflicted by what we do. Even though God has made it clear many times, we make our own thoughts, make our own decisions and get stuck in them and worry for the rest of our lives. The intense thoughts we make when we get into trouble can leave us with endless worries with our lives. For example the Word of God warns us to stay away from debt. Read this: And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. PROVERBS 22:7 [NASB] How many of us do not know this verse? Yet don’t we run for them beyond necessity and beyond affordability? Do we remember the Word of God at that time? We do not count the word of God as it comes to mind. It is because our mentality is to do what we want. What is the value we place on the Word of God? We will continue to worry for the rest of our lives to finally get out of the debt trap. In addition, God warns many people through His Word about the things they are about to do. The strange thing is that even in that they look for meanings that are favorable to them. Because, they make room for their own likes. Their desires must be fulfilled. They do not need the will of God. If in the end it all comes down to mischief, they worry about why it happened. This verse fits exactly in this context: Have you not done this to yourself by your abandoning the Lord your God When He led you in the way? Jeremiah 2:17. [NASB] So, they spend the rest of their lives worrying. It’s just the things we have done for ourselves. We also blame our friends and relatives in such cases. Because, we think that no one is coming forward to help us. Some people then blaspheme God. What is actually wrong? Who did all this? Are not the things we do to ourselves the cause of our worries? What’s the point of worrying now? We must recognize that our own decisions and desires are the cause of our worries. It has been proven many times over how ignorant our own thoughts are. The Word of God tells us what we cannot achieve by worrying: And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?  Learn to obey the Word of God. We must subdue our own will and our own decisions under the Word of God. No matter how difficult it is. As a child of God, do not stray from His lead.

Many people are seriously anxious to get out of those problems. At this stage they will be trying to come out using all their ideas. But is it possible? What happens except their brain warms up? Can we really use all our knowledge and avoid worries? If we have so much knowledge, why do we get into trouble? To some extent anything may be achieved with our knowledge. But, with God’s help we can get out of all worries and problems in a way we could not have imagined. He has solutions that are beyond our imagination. Let’s look at two good examples in this context:

EXAMPLE 1:

And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and the stone: he struck the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David’s hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and finished him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 1 SAMUEL 17: 49-51 [NASB]

We know that David defeated Goliath. Did David ever take part in such a war? How did David succeed without the sword of war? Is it easy to kill a warrior with a stone? Has that ever happened?  A warrior dies from a stone blow? Where did David get the ability to look and hit with a stone? Who gave him the idea that he could kill a warrior with a stone? David’s idea would have been mocked if he had told those present earlier. If you were on that battlefield, would you justify this idea? God’s impulses and thoughts are beyond our imagination. David went to war in the name of God. It was the power of God, not the stone, which gave David victory there. What gave David victory here was not his ability but his faith!

EXAMPLE 2:

Now a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, borrow containers elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. ⁴ Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. ⁶ When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. ⁷ So she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” 2 KINGS 4:1-7 [NASB].

Here is a prophet’s wife grieving over a debt problem. When she came to the prophet Elisha, look at the advice/remedy given by that prophet. It should be noted that it was God who gave that advice, not Elisha here. Could she have anticipated that the problem would be solved with a little oil at home? Can you give her such advice if you are her neighbor? Such suggestions do not come to us. Is advice alone enough? Need God’s help or not? We know how God settled her debt. Isn’t her debt and worries over now?

How did this happen? It’s just God’s help. We must not forget that with God’s help we can succeed no matter how big the worries and problems because God wants to take care of all your worries. So look at what the Word of God says: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 1 PETER 5: 7 [NASB]

God is telling us one thing. That is, we do not have to worry about anything. All we have to do is do as He says! It is important to walk in the way He leads so that we do not fall into any worries. It should be noted that we cannot do anything apart from Him. We must believe that He will bless us with everything we need in this world. We must recognize that God cares about us and therefore put all our worries on Him. Our focus should be on how to get to such a heavenly kingdom. That’s why Jesus said: For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. MATTHEW 6:32-33 [NASB]. If we are spiritual, we will focus on heavenly things! Worries will follow you if you keep your mind on what is on earth. Jesus said He would take care of them. What else do you want? Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. COLOSSIANS 3:1-2 [NASB]