Sermon on the Mount | Week 4 | Seek the Kingdom | Do Not Be Anxious

Do Not Be Anxious

MATTHEW 6:25–34

“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? 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? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

REFLECTION

In the original language, the phrase that says “take no thought (or do not be anxious)” actually means “to be drawn in different directions.”5 Worry can pull us apart! But when we surrender our worries to God, we may still feel worry, but we can trust that God is good.

Worry itself is not being condemned here. Jesus is talking about the pride and desire for control that is often at the root of our worries. Trusting the Lord does not always mean our worry or anxiety will go away. It’s what we do with our worry that matters. When we come to the Lord as we are and we trust him in the midst of worry, we can find peace and trust in him even if our worry doesn’t go away. If you are trying to control your possessions, hopes, fears, and life, you will find yourself falling into the sin of pride and faithless worry.

This passage is not just a rebuke for the anxious, but an invitation from a tender Father to put away our worry in light of how deeply he cares for us. All this being said, clinical anxiety is a very real thing. Sometimes, our bodies don’t work the way they were designed to, and this is an outcome of the fall, not a result of personal sin. Clinical anxiety is not exactly like the worry mentioned in this passage; it affects one’s daily life like relationships and schoolwork. It can lead to clinical depression, self harm, and bad behavior. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you are not alone—talk to a trusted adult in your life such as your parent or small group leader.

Dealing with worry is an everyday surrender, not a once and done deal. Jesus is telling you he cares wholeheartedly about you—accept his invitation to surrender your worry and anxiety to him and find freedom in the midst of fear.

What do you worry about? Take some time to pray that God would help you trust him in the midst of your worries.