I struggled with this verse last week. I read it the same night I was fighting an internal battle against worry. What-ifs were filling my mind and negativity was filling my soul. I had been praying, asking God to work in the situation I was worried about and to give me His peace.
But still, I worried.
I opened up my Bible app and scrolled to the verse of the day. And there it was, Matthew’s words telling me not to worry about tomorrow. But the worry about the future had already consumed me. And if I’m honest, this verse didn’t seem to help me much. I reread it and repeated it in my mind.
But still, I worried.
Honestly, I was kind of annoyed. I opened God’s Word expecting a solution to my problem but instead felt like I was being told that I shouldn’t be having the problem in the first place. I didn’t find the immediate peace I was looking for. I didn’t find the quick fix I so desperately wanted. I thought I was doing all the right things.
But still, I worried.
Eventually, my mind stopped racing, and I drifted off. God calmed my mind and gave me a restful night of sleep. I woke the next morning less worried and with a heart more full of trust than with what-if scenarios. But since that night, this verse has been on my mind.
I was frustrated by what I felt was a lack of power in God’s Word. I was disappointed in my inability to allow its power to work in my anxious heart.
As I opened up my Bible to study these words some more, I saw that it was the final verse of chapter six and completed an entire passage about worry. It was then that I noticed verse 33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Before commanding us not to worry about tomorrow, Matthew tells us to first seek God and His will. Because if we seek God first, and put His kingdom above our desires, if we focus on His righteousness more than our worries, then our anxious thoughts hold less power.
I wanted to be freed of my worry, but I had failed to seek God first. I was afraid my plans and my desires were going to be wrecked, therefore I worried. I wanted relief from the worry, but I wanted my own way.
Instead, I should have focused on the truth that God loves me more than I can understand and that He has good plans for me (even if they don’t match my own).
I learned that when worry threatens to consume me, I must first evaluate my heart. I need to ask God to reveal the areas in which I’ve failed to seek His kingdom and righteousness and ask Him to help me surrender them to Him. Then, I can read Matthew’s words telling me not to be anxious about tomorrow with more confidence and understanding.
*Want to join me in focusing on God’s word this week? Save these words as your lock screen. Write them on a notecard and place them somewhere you’ll see them during your day. When we meditate on His word, He will use it to produce results in our lives.
