“Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.””
Matthew 6:34:
Many believers understand that it is not necessary to be anxious about things that haven’t happened yet. Yet with all the information and uncertainty in our lives, it gets difficult to continue to keep our eyes on eternal things.
I have seen many believers take the perspective that we don’t need to be anxious because “God has everything in control,” or “everything will work out the way that it supposed to.” While those sayings may be essentially be true, that’s not what Yeshua is teaching us here. If we really look at what Yeshua is teaching us in Matthew 6, we have to see the word therefore.
He says therefore don’t be anxious. The word means accordingly, or likewise. It means that Yeshua is asking us not to be anxious is based on something he said previously. So what is the context of this teaching? Let’s back up one verse and see what it says.
“But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33:
The context of his teaching is that we don’t need to be anxious when we are seeking first God‘s kingdom. Seeking first the kingdom of God allows us to not be anxious. Why not? Because when we are seeking first the kingdom, God will provide for all of our needs; that’s the promise.
Of course the logic then plays out that if we are not seeking first his kingdom we have every right to be anxious. God is not obligated to provide for our needs. If we are not seeking God‘s kingdom first, we have no idea what is coming our way tomorrow or anytime in the future. If we are not seeking God‘s kingdom first we get blown around by every wind of doctrine or circumstance that comes our way. If we’re not seeking God‘s kingdom first then we listen to false ideas and rumors and accept those things as being true, when we have no idea what they’re really based on.
Instead, I encourage you to not be anxious about tomorrow by trusting God and seeking his kingdom first. Then you can focus on today. Then you can focus on expressing and abiding by God’s kingdom right now. How can we show our love for God today? How can we show our love for others today?
Don’t be anxious; seek the kingdom, today.
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