‘Look at the birds.’ Matthew 6:26
You may not like the government in power, but you’re much better off than the Jewish people Jesus was speaking to here. Their country was occupied by the Romans, and they paid extortionate taxes. They lived like slaves—so they worried a lot. Then Jesus came along and said: ‘Look at the birds. They don’t plant… harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?’ (Matthew 6:26–27 NLT)
In other words, if you worry a lot—try bird watching! Birds don’t know where their next meal is coming from, yet you never see one sitting on a branch having an anxiety attack. So here’s the question: ‘Aren’t you far more valuable to God than they are?’
A man was out of work, despondent, and worried about feeding his family, when he noticed some birds eating strawberry shortcake from a bin. All at once it dawned on him—‘If God can feed the birds strawberry shortcake, surely He can take care of me too!’
Even if you suffer from a poor self-image and think you’re not worth taking care of, aren’t you still more valuable than a bird? So look at how well your heavenly Father takes care of them, and remind yourself that He will take care of you too. If anxiety is robbing you of happiness during the day and sleep at night, make up your mind to live by this Scripture: ‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.’ (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
SoulFood: Dan 3–4, Mark 2:18–22, Ps 130, Pr 10:12
word4today an adaptation of The Word For Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
