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Worry
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In Houston, around September- October, the parking lots and sky are filled with birds. They flock to the power lines, fields, and even under parked cars. As I sat in my car, waiting for my daughter to get out of school, I observed a couple of birds scavenging for food in the field next to me. Stocking their prey, they would stop, shove their beaks into the ground, and pull up with a grub dangling from their mouth.
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I was astonished each bird was successful during their hunt; not one went without. The field was a bird smorgasbord of never ended grub. Amazed by the continued provision, I began to think about how God provides for His children as He provides for these birds.
In Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount is a series of lessons taught by Jesus for the very first disciples. Jesus taught these lessons differently than the parables he shared with the multitude. When teaching the disciples, Jesus was direct and straight to the point. The Sermon on the Mount combines several straight forward instructions from Jesus to His disciples, forming a one-stop-shop for the first disciples foundational training.
One lesson, in particular, was on, “Do not worry” (Matthew 6:25-34). Jesus points and says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Matthew 6:26). Worry is a Human flaw. Other living organisms don’t seem to worry. An example is, endangered species are unaware they risk extinction. Animals continue to live life from day to day, keeping to their typical habits. These birds flocking to Houston, don’t worry about the lack of supply even though their demand is high. Their focus is on the day, and the need always seems to be satisfied for that day.
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Jesus was preparing His disciples to trust the Lord’s provision. The mission included traveling beyond the Jordan. For the disciples to follow Jesus, they would need to leave their already established income.
Where did Jesus meet several of the disciples?
Each disciple was working in their family trade and providing food and financial support for their families. For the disciples to follow Jesus, they would need to give up those habitual lifestyles.
Jesus anticipated the disciples’ worries. He wanted to remove the fear and replace it with confidence in the Lord’s provision. Jesus recognized the sacrifice it would take to fulfill the Scriptures. There would be days when the disciples might worry about how to meet their essential needs (shelter, food, and clothing.) However, Jesus reminded them to trust the
Lord to provide as He provides for the birds of the air.
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Moses spoke the same message to the children of Israel when leaving Egypt. God knew His children would fear the unknown. However, the Lord took His children intentionally to the wilderness to build their confidence in Him. They forgot what relying on the Lord was like living in Egypt. The children enjoyed eating like the Egyptians with their spices and flavors.
The Lord knew they needed to detox. He needed to remove their gods, foods, and false security from His people’s minds. By taking them to the wilderness, they had to rely on was God to continue to live, and it was difficult for them. However, if you read Deuteronomy 29:5, The LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did your sandals on your feet.” They always had their necessary provisions met, manna tasting honey wafers and quail with fresh water flowing out of rocks. He provided their every need.
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Since we try to control everything we touch. God knew that removing our ability to rely on ourselves would humble us to seek His provision. The removal is part of His training process. As we begin to trust the Lord’s plans one day at a time, we begin to release the need to control.
Scripture speaks about worry several times. Anxiety evolves when we sense a lack of control. God warns us about the desire to control and gives us another option that removes fear, placing power in God’s hands. This message of “do not worry” spoken to the disciple could be shared with us today. The birds still receive their provision daily. It might not be a five-star rated provision; nevertheless, it is a provision from the Lord.
God aspires for us to have confidence in His provision daily. The Great “I am” supplied the essential needs for the Israelites for forty years. He also took care of the disciples as they traveled from one town to the next with only the clothes on their backs. The Old and New Testament messages echo God’s provision, providing proof God is dependable and never changing.
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Even in the beginning, the design God carefully crafted to form the world, encouraging our survival and meeting our every need was not by chance. God knew what we needed to continue having communion with Him. From the plants in the fields, the birds, and the sea creation below, God created all this for us. So, if He created this for us in the beginning and God never changes, won’t He continue to provide our needs today? The answer is YES! Cast ALL your anxieties on Him because of why…because He cares for YOU! (1Peter 5:7)
I Peter 5:7 is a great reminder of what to do when worry begins to creep into our daily walk. I encourage you to post verses of Scripture in areas where you will see them throughout the day. These little reminders help shield us from the arrows of worry, giving us confidence in the Lord’s provision. I place my index cards around my computer.
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