Simple Truth

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 ESV

If I’m being honest, this simple truth of Scripture has been my lifeline lately. It’s the place I’m turning to as fear and anxiety threaten to steal my joy and plunder my peace. With escalating racial tensions, a political future that’s becoming more and more bleak, and increasing violence that’s hitting closer to home every day, it has been a real fight not to just completely give myself over to despair. We live in a world where there’s SO much to fear. From sickness to shootings to hateful rhetoric all around, it’s becoming too much to bear.

Shamefully, Matthew 6 is a place I haven’t visited in a while. I’ve fallen prey to the arrogance that sometimes exists in my walk that says “you’ve got that one down… move on.” But I know that’s a lie.

One of my favorite things about God’s Word is that it’s living and breathing—which means that it constantly has something new for me. I love that even the most familiar passages continually offer something fresh for the taking, if only I’ll lay hold of the treasure it affords.

My latest journey into the land of Matthew 6:34 has revealed the “why” behind my failure to really take this truth to heart. And I’m realizing that it’s the command that lies within. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…” Simple enough—yet at times, painstakingly hard. Especially as the world around me crescendos into chaos.

My problem with this passage is one of control. Which, ultimately, is an issue of trust. It’s easy to “not be anxious” about the things that fall within my jurisdiction. But to not fret about the things which I can do nothing about? That’s a whole other story.

Surrendering control can be really tough. But in this case, the control isn’t mine to give. The people I love, the world in which I live, and my hopes for the future are, in the greatest sense, outside of my control. They rest in the hands of the Almighty—which I regularly have to remind myself is the very best place they could be.

So when I fail to keep this command, when my heart gives way to fear and I’m swept up in another current of dread and uneasiness (and choose to stay there), I am essentially saying to God, “I don’t trust You.” I’m admitting to the belief that I can’t count on the Creator of the Universe and the Lover of my Soul to work all things for good. I’m speculating that the way I would have done things is superior to the all-knowing, all-powerful Alpha and Omega. I’m putting my way above His way, neglecting to acknowledge what I know in my heart to be true.

I find no joy in admitting that I’ve been having this worry/control/trust struggle on the daily. But I’m thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning. And I’m grateful that His Word will not pass away. Because I desperately need its reminder that today has enough trouble of its own, so there’s no need to fret over what may or may not happen tomorrow.