A Great Story - Pt. 4

[Jesus said] “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).

 

In a deeply therapy-minded culture, we are much more prone to making sense of our present by reference to our past: I am who I am today because of the experiences of yesterday.  We’re less inclined to ask how we should live in the present in light of the future, in part because the future seems uncertain. We saw yesterday that the biblical perspective is one in which we’re asked to believe that God is bringing all of human history to a glorious conclusion, in which heaven and earth will be renewed, and God will dwell with his people (cf. Revelation 21:1-4).  And knowing this, we are asked to live accordingly, as a people who have a firm and unshakeable hope.

 

Well, that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Sometimes I find myself wanting to peek ahead to find out how a book or movie is going to turn out. I may look again at the back cover of a book or check out a movie on the Internet to find out more. Sometimes it feels better if I know what’s coming next. I often want that in my own life story as well. When I face uncertainty or risk in my life, I want to look ahead to see what kinds of problems will develop. I figure I’ll enjoy today more if I know that tomorrow won’t be marred by a fresh wave of problems.

 

But God doesn’t usually offer sneak peeks into the future. Instead he urges us to simply trust him. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly encourages us to trust God for each day at a time. “Give us today our daily bread,” he taught us to pray (Matthew 6:11). In our reading for today he urges, “Do not worry about tomorrow.” And he assures us that “each day has enough trouble of its own.” Since tomorrow is my birthday, I’m going to turn one more page in God’s story for my life. My prayer is that page will provide opportunities to continue developing the gifts God has given me. That page may also contain difficulties that will prompt me to cling to God; and, I know through the day’s experiences I will have the chance to notice the presence of Christ. I merely need to look. Are you looking today?