Matthew 6:30-32

Matthew 6:30-32 "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."

God is sovereign over all creation, and it is by His hand that the world itself keeps spinning, so there is never a need to be worried about His sovereign provision for our lives.  It is the unbelievers that worry about material things, and God knows that we need them in this world, but exhorts us to be heavenly minded and let Him take care of our earthly needs.  I have often been guilty of worrying about money in the past, and I believe that is what this boils down to in modern times, since we have a standardized method for acquiring food, drink, and clothing.  It was during the financial crash in early 2008 that I was most worried about money, since I had $1.26 in my bank account and no chance of making any money that month, but God provided.  God has always provided, just as He provided a ram to Abraham in place of his son Isaac (Gen 22:13), and Abraham then called that mountain "Jehovah-Jireh" or "The Lord will provide."  The Lord later provided a Lamb in our place on the cross, and I believe that is the major point of this passage.  Why should I ever worry about the material things of this world, when I know the Lord has provided for my eternity?  I will not worry about money, or where He has called me to serve, or what He has called me to do, since I know in all things God will provide.

~Jeremy

This passage truly speaks to many of the sins in my life. I struggle with worrying about what will come next and obsessing over plans A, B, and C. Matthew writes explaining how God, the ruler, creator, and author of all things clothes the grass- will he not also know what things I need?

I need not worry if He will provide or if He knows what I need. He just will. He knew upon my creation because He is the author of all things. Romans 8:28 says “…that God causes all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.” The key is that I learn to understand the way God provides for me is for His good – and ultimately my good because I serve a God of love.

Last August Jeremy and I had plans to serve in the Philippines. These plans changed once we visited Antigua in August. I was made aware of some sins of selfishness in my life that were keeping this from being a good idea. I remember pouring my heart of to Karole in Antigua saying I knew God’s calling was for missions, but when, where, and how? Me of little faith. God has shown us repeatedly how futile worry is as we prepared for the IGNITE program.

 
~Kristin