Matthew 6:25-34 is concerned with worry and anxiety. In fact, six out of the seven uses of “anxiety” in Matthew are found in these verses. If you ask the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association to tell you what Americans are anxious about, they will give you the following results:
(1) Top of the list is the future of the nation. This is the single most significant stressor among U.S. adults, where over three-quarters say it keeps them on edge.
(2) Close behind the future of the nation is worry about economic concerns. This stress is driven by the cost of living, inflation, and the day-to-day struggle of paying for essentials.
(3) Nearly 7 out of 10 Americans worry about the truthfulness and reliability of the information they receive from the media.
(4) Nearly one-third of Americans can tell a story of how the political climate has adversely affected their relationships with family members and friends.
(5) Among young people (75% of Generation Z), gun violence and mass shootings are a source of anxiety and stress.
If you were surveyed about what keeps you awake in the middle of the night, you might provide a different top-five list. When Jesus addressed the crowd on the mountain, the people faced serious, anxiety-producing issues.
For example, the average peasant family faced starvation on a regular basis. The reason taxes and tax collectors were so hated is that the money paid in taxes might take life-giving food from these vulnerable people.
Roman oppression hung over the populace like a dark shroud. The Roman peace was achieved by the brutal treatment of Israelites. Rebellions were quashed by the crucifixion of rebels, sometimes in the thousands at one time.
Don’t Worry
If you look at the top five sources of worry that Americans face, which of them can we control? It appears that we have very little control over any of them. The crowd who listened to Jesus wasn’t able to change their status as peasants under Roman rule, either.
Jesus compared God’s care of the birds and asked if we are more valuable than them. The answer is a resounding “yes,” and the logic is as follows: “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?” (Matthew 6:27).
After using a similar illustration about clothing and the flowers of the field, Jesus tells us: “For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32).
Instead of worry and anxiety over things we cannot control, Jesus presents us with something that is within our abilities: living in God’s kingdom.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
The kingdom of God is the effective reach of His power. While few of us are able to change worrisome issues in America and around the world, we can seek to have God be more and more of a King in our lives each day.
Here’s a question I have posed to myself that you also may want to consider: How much time do issues of national interest occupy my mind? How many minutes or hours each day do I devote to social media or television viewing that increases my anxiety over the state of the world?
In other words, how much energy do I put into seeking anxiety-producing issues that I cannot control?
On the other hand, I can control whether God has more or less of my attention, worship, will, and emotions. How much time and energy do I put forth to seek the King of all kings as the absolute sovereign of my life? What am I doing to give God more and more access to my attitudes and actions?
Most importantly, what am I going to do today to align my life with Jesus’ admonition to seek first God’s kingdom and His right way of living?
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 