Some of the Most Popular Verses in the Bible Day 9, #2: Matthew 6:33
A prescription for anxiety
At the end of Matthew 6 Jesus is speaking to the crowd about anxiety. Many consider Matthew 6:33 the pinnacle of all comments in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells his disciples to, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus had come to this pinnacle moment in the sermon by traveling through three areas that keep us from seeking the kingdom: reputation, wealth, and security.
In the final section of the chapter we see Jesus challenge those in the crowd to resist anxiety three times. In verse 25, He addresses the fact that we shouldn’t worry about where our next meal, drink, or clothing will come from. He speaks of the Father’s compassionate care for the birds and lilies as an illustration of the Father’s compassionate provision for our material needs. Then He exhorts the crowd to be people of faith. In verses 31-32 Jesus commands them to not be anxious about their next meal, drink, or piece of clothing. Why? Because people of the kingdom don’t have to worry about these things because our God is a God who provides. One of my favorite parts of the verse is when Jesus says “your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” In other words, His provision is complete.
Matthew 6:33-34 records Jesus telling the people what to do, what not to do, and why they should resist anxiety. Jesus refers to his previous comments about provision in their lives from the Father, and tells them to seek His kingdom and righteousness first and the things that they worry about will be provided for them. In verse 34, He tells the crowd to resist anxiety about tomorrow, because you have enough to deal with today. In this verse I see the understanding of Jesus when it comes to how we are all wired. We all worry! So, Jesus speaks into our humanity and says, trust me!
In 1994 I was called to ministry in a Baptist church in Chattanooga, TN where Amy and I attended. It was a very emotional moment that I will never forget. Within weeks we were making plans to go to Dallas so that I could attend seminary. Many of our friends were concerned, because I was a business major and had never had an interest in going into ministry. Honestly, they had some valid concerns. Our marriage was barely two years old, and we had no money put away, and my GPA in my undergrad was not stellar. However, God had placed a dream in our hearts, and we knew that He would provide. One Summer morning we hopped in our moving van and car and started to make our way to a place we had never been, to chase the dream God had placed in our hearts. Within days we were living in a beautiful apartment, I was accepted and registered for school, we both had jobs, and we were living in the abundance of God’s provision. I look back on those days and I am still in awe of how God put it all together. We were just called to be faithful to the dream he had put in our hearts. Two years later we were in full-time ministry. The dream had been realized.
I would be telling you a lie, if I claimed to have conquered anxiety. Anxiety is a part of my daily life, but on some days I am able to make the choice to resist anxiety and remember God’s provision and care that has been evident in all the seasons of my life (even the seasons when I wasn’t paying attention). He has been faithful in releasing me from worry, and pointing me to His kingdom and righteousness.
This week my anxiousness is focused on friends that are in the middle of health issues. I took some time this morning stop and pray for God’s peace as we walk through this season together. If you are wrestling with anxiety today, take some time to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness and embrace His promised peace. Remembering, we are all in this together.
Pastor Chuck Reed