Luke 12:22-31 (NIV)

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Reflection:

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin was a famous song from the 80’s that enjoyed a long run as a one hit wonder. As the title suggests, the song tells its listeners not to focus on the negative things in life, and instead smile and be positive. Yet, we know from our own life experience that sometimes simply putting on a happy face and forgetting about our troubles doesn’t make them go away. In fact, purposefully trying to place our mind somewhere else instead of taking care of the matter at hand can actually make things much worse. At the other extreme, if we just set our eyes on our troubles, and get lost in trying to find a solution, then we can also become paralyzed to the point where other things start to slip and fall apart. So what are we to do?
Thankfully, God’s Word addresses this very point. We are not to be oblivious to our real issues in life nor are we to forget everything else and just stay on that one matter. Rather, Jesus encourages us to trust in God, and remember that He is the One that cares for us and will provide everything we need. Just as the flowers of the field are wonderfully dressed, and the birds of the air are fully cared for, so too are those that trust in God and choose to worship Him with all that they have. It is in trusting in God’s total care for us that we are able to give our all for His Kingdom and enjoy all the blessings that He has for us.

Response:

Let’s pray that we would not worry and overly invest our time, lives and resources trying to prepare for every single thing that may come up.  Instead, let’s turn to the One that knows even the smallest of our needs, and ask that rather than living a life of constant worry and frustration that we would spend our time and energy trusting God and living the life that He has called us to.