DEEP - Week 4
Day 2
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” - Matthew 6:31–32
Have you ever been physically present with your family while mentally living somewhere else? You're sitting at dinner, driving in the car, or lying beside your spouse, but your mind is ten miles down the road trying to solve a problem that hasn't even happened yet.
That is one of worry's favorite tricks.
Worry pulls you out of the moment God has given you and into an imaginary future you cannot control.
Jesus understands this.
In Matthew 6, He speaks directly about worry. He talks about food, clothing, provision, and tomorrow. In other words, Jesus doesn't address theoretical anxiety. He speaks into the everyday concerns of ordinary people.
And three times in this passage, Jesus tells His followers not to worry.
Why?
Because worry is more than an uncomfortable emotion. Left unchecked, worry begins competing with trust.
Think about where worry shows up in your own life.
Maybe it's money.
You check the bank account again. You run the numbers again. You imagine the unexpected expense. Your mind begins asking, What if there isn't enough?
Maybe it's your children.
They're getting older, making their own decisions, driving themselves places, choosing friends, entering relationships, and building lives you cannot completely control.
You love them deeply.
And because you love them deeply, you are tempted to worry deeply.
Maybe it's your health.
A pain appears. A symptom changes. Someone you know receives a diagnosis, and suddenly your mind starts imagining possibilities.
Maybe it's your marriage.
What if we don't get through this?
Maybe it's work.
What if I lose this opportunity? What if I fail? What if they don't choose me?
Worry always has another question.
But notice what Jesus says: “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
Those words change everything.
Before you ever identified the problem, God knew.
Before you calculated the numbers, God knew.
Before you received the phone call, God knew.
Before your child faced that situation, God knew.
Jesus isn't teaching that Christians never experience concern. He's teaching us where concern should lead.
Concern can lead you toward responsible action.
Worry keeps you circling around the illusion of control.
That's why it is important to recognize worry when it appears.
Worry often sounds like responsibility.
I'm just thinking ahead.
I'm just being prepared.
I'm just concerned.
And sometimes that's true.
But here's a helpful question:
Is my thinking leading me toward faithful action, or am I simply rehearsing fear?
If there's something you can responsibly do, do it.
Make the phone call.
Create the budget.
Have the conversation.
Schedule the appointment.
Apologize.
Ask for help.
But once you have done what obedience requires, there comes a point where you must entrust what you cannot control to God.
That is where faith begins.
Parents especially need this truth.
Your children need your wisdom.
They need your prayers.
They need boundaries.
They need instruction.
They need your presence.
But they don't need your anxiety.
There will eventually be places your children go where you cannot go with them.
There will be decisions they make that you cannot make for them.
There will be moments when the only thing you can do is trust that the God who loves them even more than you do is still present.
Worry says, “Everything depends on me.”
Faith says, “I have a Father.”
That's what Jesus keeps emphasizing.
Not merely God.
Your heavenly Father.
Today, pay attention to what your mind repeatedly rehearses.
When you catch yourself drifting into worry, don't condemn yourself. Identify it and redirect it.
Say:
“Father, You already know what I need.”
Then tell Him specifically what you're carrying.
“My Father knows about this bill.”
“My Father knows about my child.”
“My Father knows about this diagnosis.”
“My Father knows about my marriage.”
“My Father knows what tomorrow holds.”
You aren't informing God.
You are reminding your heart.
Because worry grows when we forget who is with us.
And faith grows when we remember:
My Father already knows.
WATCH THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/SAW3spHYYYE?si=6N4wsNz90iHrNDXw
