One day at a time
2021-01-15Matthew 6:34 NCV
When we’re worried about things, one of the Bible verses that people might remind us of is Matthew 6:34. At first glance, it doesn’t seem all that encouraging – ‘Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries’ – it almost sounds like it’s reinforcing our fears of what the future holds. But let’s take a look at the previous verse: ‘Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well’ (Matthew 6:33 NCV).
When we’re pursuing God’s will, following His guidance, and living His way, He promises to provide the things we need. We tend to think about this in terms of material things, such as food, shelter, or money, but God will also provide us with things like wisdom to handle a difficult situation, or strength to face a challenge. God enables us to focus on seeking Him and living the way He wants us to live by taking care of everything else that we’re concerned about. Whether we’re anxious about what’s happening to us now, or what’s going to happen in the future, whether our worries are big or small, we can confidently hand every single one over to God and trust Him to help us through.
Peter puts it like this: ‘Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]’ (1 Peter 5:7 AMP). Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34 are an encouragement to simply take one day at a time and remember that the loving God who’s taking care of us today will still be taking care of us tomorrow.