A few weeks ago, my husband encouraged me to memorize and meditate on this section of Matthew. There is just something uniquely meaningful about memorizing Scripture. I’ve read this passage hundreds of times, but committing it to memory brings out new insights for me.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
I am not completely done memorizing. I still have the last two verses to go. Here are some tidbits of encouragement that I have found in memorizing this section so far:
- “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” I love this part of verse 25. And for about a week I couldn’t memorize any further because I was so wrapped up in discovering the depth of this question! I’m sure I have still only scratched the surface of its richness. I am convicted by this verse to think about the amount of time I spend in a given day or week planning, preparing, cooking, eating, and cleaning up after eating meals. How much time do I spend in comparison planning, preparing, “cooking”, eating, and cleaning up after eating spiritual meals? There is so much care and thought put into food, but do I take the same care in making sure I eat well spiritually? What is life? Life does not just consist of the food that I take into my body. Life consists of the soul within me connecting with my Savior. How do I connect with Him if I am starving my soul of its necessary fill of time with the Lord? And what about clothing…? My body is not just a mass of atoms that carries me from place to place day by day. My body is the temple of the Living God – a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Am I only concerned about my physical appearance? About modesty and physical fitness? Or am I concerned with putting on my spiritual clothing daily – my armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). This verse spoke to my heart about being concerned with my spiritual well-being. The physical often takes priority, but the spiritual is what really matters most.
- “Are you not of more value than they?” This question in verse 26, comparing me with the birds, evokes some precious thoughts. God takes such care of all of His creation, making sure that nothing is lacking. If He takes such care of His little birds – that fly so carelessly as to smash into my windshield – wouldn’t He take even better care of me? I’ve been paying more attention to the birds in my neighborhood, and they serve as a reminder of how much God values me. Me! A wandering, self-seeking, pleasure-driven sinner! I am worth more to Him that those sweetly singing creatures that do nothing but worship their Maker.
- “…which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Verse 27 takes the cake. While I’m sure there are literal physical factors about anxiety and stress that actually do decrease life span, I am convicted to think about the time that I waste with worry. Not that I am actually going to live longer or die sooner if I decrease or increase anxiety. But that my God wants me to consider the fact that I could be doing something better with my time. Worrying is not glorifying to God, and that ‘s what He made me to do – glory Him! So by spending all this time worrying about so many things of life – big and small – I am actually taking my focus off of God and fixing it on myself and my circumstances. In order to find peaceful rest, I need to get my eyes back on the Lord (Isaiah 26:3-4).
- “…your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” This part of verse 32 is just a reminder to trust in the Lord. God knows I need food and drink and clothing. And He is going to make sure I have enough of those things. I do have to take responsibility in them. I still have to plan my meals and grocery shop, prepare my meals, and actually consume them. I also have to spend time shopping for clothes and take care in dressing myself to be sure that I am covered modestly. But that is not what God wants me to be consumed by. He wants me to be consumed with joy and thankfulness for the life He’s given me and for the care He has for me. He wants me to be living for Him in such a way right now at this very moment that nothing else matters. Nothing is worth drawing my attention away from my Saving Lord.
These are just some thoughts as I work through memorizing this section of Matthew 6. Thanks to my husband for encouraging me to commit this Scripture to memory, and all glory be to God who gave us His Word to guide us and instruct us in the way we should go.
What Others are Reading:
Loading…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Kim,
I love how you seek to eplain this passage of Scripture. The Lord truely was the Word. Jesus taugh us so much on letting go and loving God. God truely does provide for us each and everyday and we rarely give thanks. I know I don’t as much as I could. Jesus teaches us to pray unceasingly. One thing many of us think we “can’t do” because of our jobs and responsibilities. One thing I learned from my formation classes (as I am a Roman Catholic) is that we often do not KNOW how to pray. We can always give thanks and pray with our bodies even during our day when verbal and mental prayer are incovienced. I appologize about my grammar and spelling now. I know it’s hard to get used to but letting go of earthly troubles is one way in which we can pray to the Lord, our God!
I found this fact a complete mindblower when I heard it, but did Jesus himself not pray this way? Just in his demeanor Jesus opened up his heart to pray to God unstopped by earthly worries! I believe that is what this passage is alluding to. Letting go of earthly worries and praising God and trusting that He will provide, for when we do nothing but what we are made to do, we recieve everything good in life. Just as the birds in the sky. They flutter away and sing beautiful songs to the Lord not worrying about death, and the Lord provides the protection.
I’d look forward to reading more of your posts and seeing your views.
Thank you so much for this Kim. I love these scriptures! Our society says that worry and stress are normal…”everybody worries” they say. Well worry and stress are abnormal in God’s Kingdom. We live a different way…a better way. There’s nothing like trusting our Father!
And you are right about stress being bad for human health. Stress causes your body to release a hormone called “cortisol.” Prolonged high levels of cortisol causes lowered immunity, higher blood pressure, increased abdominal fat, and more! Google it…you’ll be surprised. Thanks again Kim.
You must log in to post a comment.