Go Rest High on that Mountain - Pt 8

“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? 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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But 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? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV).

One of my coffee mugs reminds me of our seventh truth. The seventh reason not to be anxious is that when you seek the kingdom of God first, he works for you and provides all your needs (v. 33). Many people interpret this verse in a way that emphasizes what we need to do to insure our peace. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is a way Jesus has of reminding us that peace and security are simply “above our paygrade.” So, we can say with certainty that when we stop taking on God’s role and being anxious about the things of life, God starts being anxious for you. It’s such a foolish thing to insist on carrying anxious burdens which God has promised to carry for us. This is how Isaiah says it: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV). So, how do we get there? It’s about “seeking.” If you set yourself to seek the Lord today in the stillness of your room or under the stars, the first thing you will do is call on the Lord. The religious word for this is "pray." Many people feel that they can't pray. They feel that it takes a lot of Bible knowledge to know how to say things just right. And that it takes a certain way with words, so you don't sound too coarse or too casual. The word is "call." And that is part of our everyday language, just like it was then. We call the waiter. We call a friend on the telephone. We call for help on 911. The first thing we do to seek the Lord is call to him. We might use words like these: "O God, help me!" Or: "God, if you are really there, show me!" So, rescuing yourself is not an option. That’s above your paygrade. It’s not for God. Call on Him!