Do Not Worry About Your Life

[Christsfreeservant]

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ​

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“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34 NASB1995)​

I want to compare these words here a little bit to some of the situations in the life of the apostle Paul, because I believe this will give us a better perspective as to what this is teaching here, in reality. Paul was a man of God, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, who obeyed the Lord in taking the true message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world. But he did not have it easy, for he faced much opposition and trials along the way.

He was beaten with rods, and he received many lashes. He was stoned and left for dead. He had many sleepless nights. He was hungry and thirsty, often without food, out in the cold with his body exposed to the elements. He faced imprisonment numerous times. He experienced weariness and pain often. He was in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, and danger from his own countrymen, etc. All this was in his service to the Lord Jesus Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-29).

This passage of Scripture in Matthew 6 is not a promise from God that if we are his children that we will never go hungry, that we will never be lacking in what to wear, for Christians throughout all generations in multiple nations of the world have faced and are still facing the kinds of trials and tribulations as what Paul faced, and perhaps more. And I think about that every time I read this Matthew passage, and I wonder how they will receive Jesus’ words.

I am presently being faced with a perhaps very serious situation. A couple of weeks ago I was lying down in bed, attempting to fall asleep, when suddenly I felt this very sharp pain in my chest in the area where my heart is located. I felt chest pressure, a crushing feeling in my chest, and I had a cough and shortness of breath, and pressure in my ears. This was followed by a sharp pain underneath my left arm, fullness in my head, pain in my right ear, and pain in my back and side in the same general area as was the chest pain.

Eventually I made the decision to go to the hospital. They did a scan of my lungs and discovered that a tumor I’ve had there since 2014 had now grown, almost doubled in size. But in 2016 it had not grown, so we don’t know at what point it began growing. But it is pressing against my rib cage and my nerves and it is causing a lot of pain and discomfort, including chest pressure and labored breathing, etc. But it doesn’t end there. There are also concerns about my thyroid and the pain and fulness in my head, too.

So, they have ordered a bunch of tests for me to have to try to determine what is going on inside my body so that they know what steps need to be taken to help resolve the pain, especially the part that impacts my ability to breathe. Now I trust the Lord in all of this, and I don’t normally run to doctors or hospitals when I am in pain, but this time I believe the Lord has a purpose in all of this in my life, and perhaps in other people’s lives, but I know he is going to walk me through it all as I hold on to him, trusting him.

And I think that really is the message in this Matthew 6 passage. It isn’t that God is going to spare us from every trial and tribulation which comes into our lives to test our faith. It isn’t that we will never have times of hunger or thirst or to be in want of shelter and clothing. It is that when we face these trials that we do not worry about what we are having to suffer out of fear of having to go without out, or in fear of pain, suffering, and perhaps death. For God will meet our needs, but not necessarily what we want or desire.

And sometimes we need these trials and tribulations in our lives more than we need comfort and all our physical needs fulfilled. For God uses these difficulties in our lives to test our faith, to mature us, to make us holy, to purify our hearts, to draw us closer to him, to make us more steadfast and serious about our relationships with the Lord, and to humble us so that we will be more reliant on the Lord for all our needs. So we are not to be those who worry about what’s coming next, but we are to trust the Lord fully.

We need to keep our eyes, hearts, and minds focused on the Lord, trusting him with our trials and tribulations, trusting him to work them all out for what is truly best for us, for our ultimate spiritual good. And more than food and clothing or bodily health and comfort, we must seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, trust him in all circumstances, surrender our lives to him, follow him in obedience, and live holy lives pleasing to God, in the power of God and in his strength and wisdom, trusting him fully in all ways.

What the Lord Says

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5
An Original Work / February 24, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

This is what the Lord says to you:
Fear not, for I have chosen you.
I have summoned you by your name.
You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,
I will be with you; you will not sink.
You are so precious always to me.
Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who gave salvation to you;
Who delivered you from your sin;
Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.
Give of your heart not now up to strife.
See all the new things I have for you.
Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who made you; who will help you:
Do not fear what humans may do.
Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.
Trust in my mercy, for I love you.
I have a plan for all of your life.
Follow my ways. Do what is right.

Do Not Worry About Your Life
An Original Work / September 28, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love