Borrowing Trouble

Sermon Summary Most of us know what it is to live in a future that hasn’t happened. A medical test is scheduled, a child is struggling, money is tight, or a difficult conversation is coming. Before long, our minds have written the whole story, usually with the worst possible ending. We suffer today over trouble that may never arrive. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus doesn’t shame anxious people. He knows that life is hard and that many of our concerns are painfully real. His words are an invitation to see our lives differently and to let trust, rather than fear, have the final word. This passage should not be used to make people feel guilty for needing help. Wise counsel, medical care, and the support of the church can be faithful ways of carrying a heavy burden. Verse 25 begins with the word therefore, connecting Jesus’ teaching about anxiety to what he has just said about money and masters. If money becomes our master, we will always wonder whether we have enough. Savings and careful planning are wise, but no account balance can make us untouchable. Money is a useful servant and a terrible savior. Your Life Is More Than Your Worry Jesus first widens our field of vision: Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Worry has a way of shrinking life to the size of one problem. When we’re waiting for test results, that may be all we can think about. When we fear for a child, the fear follows us into every room. The concern is real, but it’s not the whole of our life. Look Up Then Jesus tells us to look at the birds and consider the lilies. He’s not offering a sentimental nature lesson. He’s teaching us to look through creation and see the Father’s care. If God feeds the birds and clothes the grass, how much more will he care for his children? Jesus’ question matters: Are you not of more value than they? Our confidence rests not in the predictability of life but in the character of our Father. The Father Knows That’s why verse 32 is so comforting: Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. He knows the bill that’s due, the result you’re waiting for, the conversation you dread, and the future you can’t see. We often think peace would come if we knew what was going to happen. Jesus offers something better than advance knowledge: a Father who already knows and who loves us. Do the Next Faithful Thing Jesus also exposes the limits of worry. It can’t add an hour to our lives. It can’t change a diagnosis, make a child choose wisely, or guarantee that our plans will succeed. Responsibility and worry aren’t the same thing. We can make the appointment, save money, study for the test, apologize, or ask for help. Those are faithful actions. Planning produces action; worry produces circles. The hard part is that we usually want more than God’s presence; we want God’s plan. We’d like to see the whole route before we take the first step. God often gives us enough light for the next faithful step, not a map of the entire journey. Trust means obeying with the light we have and leaving with God what only God can control. Seek First Finally, Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” This is more than a vague call to put God first. To seek the kingdom is to live under God’s reign; to seek his righteousness is to order our lives by his will. In context, the phrase “all these things” refers to the daily necessities Jesus has been discussing, not to every outcome we might desire. The promise isn’t that life will follow our script, but that we can entrust our needs to the Father while giving ourselves to his kingdom. Jesus closes by bringing us back to the only day we’ve been given: Don’t be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Tomorrow will bring its own responsibilities and its own grace. We don’t have to carry it before it arrives. For those who haven’t entrusted themselves to Jesus, his invitation isn’t merely to manage anxiety better, but to enter the Father’s kingdom through him. For those who already belong to him, the invitation is to come back to the Father and trust him again. The future may be unknown to us, but it is not unknown to God. We do not have to live in tomorrow. We can trust God with it and live faithfully today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hoovercoc.substack.com