Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 6:25-34 that to follow him means that they will be provided for. This is good news for the disciples, because apparently they had cause to worry. After all, you only tell someone to refrain from something that they are doing.
Jesus’ good news for the 1st-century disciples can be good news for us too, for the modern-day news gives us no shortage of reasons to worry constantly. Whether at the national, communal, or personal level, there is always a news story that can make us concerned about provision. But Jesus’ invitation is to lay down this kind of worry as we follow him. To trust God who is amongst us is to trust that our leader knows what provision we need. Our worry dissipates because we are about the activity of God, not mired in the anxieties of our day.
As you listen to this track, to what worries does the Spirit say “peace be still”? Does Jesus’ invitation intrigue you to lay worry down and live like the sparrow, who flutters at peace in the hands of God? Or are you in a place where Jesus’ invitation to follow and trust would just cause more reason to worry? Wherever you are, let this song accompany you.
The sparrows neither sow nor reap, and yet God feeds them. May that be encouragement for you, for us, for all creation.
Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash