A Conversation with Jesus
Do you think it is possible to be incapable of worry?
Verse of the Day
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
Today’s Devotional
We are going to spend the next few days on Matthew 6:22-34. Please take a moment to read that section of the Word. Jesus is teaching us about worry, and provision, and undivided loyalty, and priorities. And there is so much to learn and to put into practice.
A while back, I read a beautiful description of how this verse has the potential to work in our lives. It came from “The Sin of Certainty” by Peter Enns (link to this book will be at the bottom). I will let him do the “talking” today.
“In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his audience not to fret and worry about how much they have, what to wear, or what they will eat. That’s what people of “little faith” do. Rather, the focus should be on seeking to live in harmony with God’s will and to trust God with the rest. (Matthew 6:25-34).
Jesus illustrates his point in what is, frankly, a ridiculously off-topic reference to the lilies of the fields and the birds of the air: “See, they’re doing just fine because God takes care of them. So what are you so worried about:
Seriously, Jesus? Are you taking questions?
(I raise my hand. Jesus nods in my direction.)
ME: I appreciate the effort, Jesus, but to state the obvious, and I think I speak for everyone here, lilies don’t have brains and birds are skittish little things that fly into windows. I, on the other hand, am a human being. I have a brain, not to mention a house and a family. I have to pay bills in a crappy economy while trying to keep my kids safe from drugs and predators., let alone getting them into a good college, and somehow paying for it without selling my body parts to science or moving into a storage facility. So forgive my condescending smile when I hear you comparing me and my problems to plants and birds like they’re my role models. Birds are birds and plants are plants, Jesus. By definition, they don’t have the capacity for thought that even makes worrying possible. By definition, they literally have no worries! They are incapable of worry.
JESUS: You’re right more than you know. Yes, plants and birds by definition are incapable of worry.
ME: Ugh. Are you going to answer my question without really answering it, like you do with those Pharisees or like Yahweh did to Job? Because that gets old and I’m not in the mood.
JESUS: I am telling you to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air because they are, like you said, by definition, incapable of worry.
ME: ?……?…..?
JESUS: If you truly trust the Father, you too will be, by definition, incapable of worry.
ME: Uh…hmm….
JESUS: Worry will be as impossible for you as it is for insentient plants and clueless birds. When you trust, when you let go of your life and lean on God with your whole heart, worry will fade from your vocabulary. You will be as oblivious to the cares of the world as are plants and birds. And then you will be free – free of worry. Get it?
ME: So…you mean “Don’t worry” isn’t just a quote for a Bible poster featuring cute animals? You actually mean this?
JESUS: What’s a Bible poster? And yes.
Incapable of worry if I really trust God. Wow. I realize that this lesson comes from a fictitious conversation between Jesus and a man I don’t know. But it rings true for me somehow. I’ve always wondered how the birds and the plants fit with Jesus telling us not to worry. Now, in a weird way, it makes sense.
Add to that the last part of today’s verse, where Jesus reminds us of our value to God. You matter to God. So do I. So does every other person on this planet. Maybe the more I trust in the truth of my value in God’s eyes, the less capable of worry I will become.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you need to remind yourself of your value to God today?
What would your life look like if you really believed God about how valuable you are?
How can you let go of your life and lean on God with your whole heart today?
What would it look like today if you were incapable of worry?