Matthew 6:25-34
I spent a couple of my years in the Air Force as a war planner. We had contingency plans, and we had deliberate plans. Contingency plans are plans that are intended to serve as a template of sorts in response to an unplanned pop-up crisis. Deliberate plans, on the other hand, are plans that are drawn up for a specific or anticipated crisis. You think linearly. If this happens, then this might happen. As you think things out linearly, you begin to come up with courses of action. And from these various courses of action, you think of possible next steps, and so on. As you consider the big picture, you learn to think about things one at a time. In this passage in the book of Matthew, Jesus is telling his audience that they (and us) are not to be anxious about life. From the birds in the air to the lilies of the field, Jesus is telling his audience that God provides in His time, one at a time. We are a “I want it, and I want it now” society. We are always looking for the next best thing, and oh, by the way, I want it all and I want it now. From cars to computers, just when you buy one of whatever it is, it is already obsolete. In our walk as a Christian, we must be patient and not get caught up in the next best thing. Worship seems to reinvent itself every few years. Seeker-friendly versus traditional, and so on. Jesus calls us to wait upon Him. He will provide what we need when we need it. The passage ends with each day brings its own trouble. Don’t add it by taking on things that don’t matter. Is life care-free and worry-free? Nope. But when we trust in the giver of every moment we have, isn’t it sufficient enough to trust Him with that time?
I spent a couple of my years in the Air Force as a war planner. We had contingency plans, and we had deliberate plans. Contingency plans are plans that are intended to serve as a template of sorts in response to an unplanned pop-up crisis. Deliberate plans, on the other hand, are plans that are drawn up for a specific or anticipated crisis. You think linearly. If this happens, then this might happen. As you think things out linearly, you begin to come up with courses of action. And from these various courses of action, you think of possible next steps, and so on. As you consider the big picture, you learn to think about things one at a time. In this passage in the book of Matthew, Jesus is telling his audience that they (and us) are not to be anxious about life. From the birds in the air to the lilies of the field, Jesus is telling his audience that God provides in His time, one at a time. We are a “I want it, and I want it now” society. We are always looking for the next best thing, and oh, by the way, I want it all and I want it now. From cars to computers, just when you buy one of whatever it is, it is already obsolete. In our walk as a Christian, we must be patient and not get caught up in the next best thing. Worship seems to reinvent itself every few years. Seeker-friendly versus traditional, and so on. Jesus calls us to wait upon Him. He will provide what we need when we need it. The passage ends with each day brings its own trouble. Don’t add it by taking on things that don’t matter. Is life care-free and worry-free? Nope. But when we trust in the giver of every moment we have, isn’t it sufficient enough to trust Him with that time?
Posted in Devotional