Matthew 6:25-26 — That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 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?
Some days, faith looks less like standing on a mountaintop and more like hanging on by your fingernails.
You know those days.
When the bills keep coming.
When the doctor’s office calls.
When someone you love is hurting, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to fix it.
And everybody keeps telling you to trust God, but if you’re being truthful, you’re just trying to make it through the day.
That’s one of the things I appreciate about Matt Maher’s song, “Gonna Be Alright.”
It makes room for those days.
It doesn’t pretend that life is always easy or that we’ll never face something that shakes us to our core.
Instead, it reminds us of something we desperately need to remember.
Even when everything around us feels uncertain, God hasn’t changed.
And that’s exactly what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 6.
He told the people listening to Him to look at the birds.
Now, think about that for a minute.
Birds don’t plant crops.
They don’t fill barns with food for next winter.
They don’t have savings accounts or carefully planned retirement funds.
And yet, God provides for them.
Then Jesus asks a question that I think we sometimes read right past.
“And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
Let those words settle into your heart.
You are valuable to Him.
Not because you’ve managed to keep everything together.
Not because your faith has never wavered.
Not because you’ve figured out how to handle every problem life throws your way.
But because you belong to Him.
Of course, knowing that and feeling it can be two very different things.
The bills still have to be paid.
The medical tests still have to be taken.
The difficult conversations still have to happen.
And sometimes, even when we know God is faithful, we’re still afraid.
But here’s what I want you to remember.
Trusting God doesn’t mean you’ll never feel worried. It means you know where to take your worries when they come.
Jesus isn’t telling us to ignore our responsibilities or pretend our problems aren’t real.
He’s inviting us to stop carrying tomorrow’s burdens as though we’re carrying them alone.
And I think that’s where so many of us struggle.
We spend today worrying about what might happen tomorrow.
And then we worry about what we’ll do if it does.
Before long, we’ve lived through a hundred terrible possibilities in our minds, and none of them has even happened yet.
But our Heavenly Father already knows what we need.
He sees what we’re facing.
And He hasn’t forgotten us.
Now, that doesn’t mean everything will work out exactly the way we hope.
Sometimes the answer isn’t what we prayed for.
Sometimes the road is harder than we imagined.
And sometimes, we have to keep trusting God without knowing how the story is going to unfold.
But even then, His love doesn’t disappear.
His mercy doesn’t run out.
And His presence doesn’t depend on our circumstances.
So maybe today, you don’t feel particularly strong.
Maybe your faith feels a little shaky.
Maybe you’re holding on by your fingernails.
If that’s you, I want to encourage you to do something Jesus told us to do.
Look at the birds.
Really look at them.
Watch them for a moment.
And remember that the same God who created them, who knows their needs and provides for them, knows yours too.
You don’t have to figure out every detail of tomorrow today.
You don’t have to pretend you’re not afraid.
And you certainly don’t have to face any of it without Him.
Because the God who holds tomorrow is the same God who’s holding you today.
And even when you don’t know what’s coming next, you can rest in the love of the One who does.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- What is one worry about tomorrow that has been stealing your peace today?
- Why do you think Jesus used something as ordinary as birds to remind us of God’s care?
- How does knowing that you are valuable to God change the way you think about your circumstances?
- What’s the difference between trusting God and expecting Him to make everything turn out the way you want?
- What practical step could you take today to bring a specific worry to God instead of continuing to carry it alone?
QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY
What am I trying to carry into tomorrow that I need to place in God’s hands today?
L Y R I C S
Gonna be alright
Lilies of the field
They don’t toil they don’t spin
Sparrows in the wind
They sing of where they’ve been
If the hairs on my head are counted
And the tears that I cry, are too
Then why would I be anxious
If? It’s all just the same to you
Chorus:
I lift my eyes I know
Everything gonna be alright
My Lord
So why should I worry
Not a thing
That I lack
You’re with me
That’s a fact
I’m alive
It’s a ride
Where I go Lord I know
It’s gonna be alright
V2
Best days or my worst,
If i’m last or if i’m first
Sunshine or rain
The sky might fall but You remain
If the whole world’s in your hands Lord
and mercy’s always new
Then why would I be anxious
When It’s all just the same to you
There’s peace for the trouble this day
There’s hope that everything could change
Tomorrow’s gonna find it’s way
If you’re hanging on the edge of faith
Don’t be afraid
Songwriters: Matt Maher, Simon Dumas, Cecily Hennigan
