Saturday 7th September
Read Matthew 6:41
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NIVUK)
Why does Jesus seem to personify worry? Why does it have such a grip on us? It seems that Jesus is all too aware that obeying His word to not worry about the immediate necessities of life but to trust that God will look after you as He has looked after creation for centuries and centuries does not resolve the matter for many people. There is a logic that we can administer, like medicine, to those who are worrying that can actually resolve all their immediate concerns. We can feed them, clothe them and generally care for them and show them that this reflects the divine care Jesus points them too, but that this will not be enough.
It is the ‘but’ that is important. It is the ‘but’ that Jesus knows sits deep in the heart of all of us. Yes, people may say, I can see that my needs have been met today and that logically I should trust that this is how and who God is, but what about tomorrow? It is as if our hearts are unwilling to trust that God will provide. There is the constant, often imaginative, ‘but’ that refuses to let our present selves reflect on God’s provision and is always imagining scenarios where tomorrow might be different.
Jesus knows that worry gnaws away at us, both currently and in the future. He also knows that worrying about the future is pointless. There are enough concerns today. Worrying about the future, losing sleep, makes us less capable of dealing with today’s troubles. There is wise advice here for those who are willing to listen to Him. Deal with what is in front of you today. Then tomorrow, deal with what is in front of you then. That is more than enough. Worrying about tomorrow doesn’t make you more productive today. Yet often that is exactly how we act. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan and prepare for what is ahead of us, it simply means we shouldn’t worry about it.
