So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34 (NLT))
Are you worried about your future? Are you anxious about whether . . .
- your company is going to lay people off;
- gas prices will continue to rise;
- you’ll be single your entire life;
- your kids will turn out well; or
- you’ll even be able to have children?
Do you fret about what next month or next year will bring?
It’s easy to worry about your future. All you have to do is look at a newsfeed and stories about crime, the economy, and the way people treat each other can quickly raise your anxiety levels. And circumstances in your own life can overwhelm your thoughts in an instant.
But God doesn’t want you to be worried about your future. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). And He taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 (NKJV)). In other words, focus on what you need day by day.
Even in the Old Testament, God oriented His people’s focus on the day at hand. When the Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God provided them with their daily food – that heavenly bread called manna – one day at a time (Exodus 16:15-16, 19). If they gathered more and left it for the following day (unless it was the day before the Sabbath day), the manna “bred worms and stank” (Exodus 16:20 (NKJV)).
God doesn’t want you to worry about your future. He wants you to trust Him with tomorrow. He already knows what your future holds, and He will help you through it all if you’ll let Him.
Instead of worrying about your future, Jesus invites you to abide in Him (John 15:4). The word abide means to be present or remain. We need to live one day at a time and be present with Jesus. If you’re worrying about something in your future, you’re no longer present with Jesus today.
You are safe in Jesus’ hands (John 10:28). But you can’t enjoy being in that safety if you’re somewhere else in your mind. So when you catch yourself worrying about your future, stop it! Choose to focus your mind on today.
And yes, it’s a choice. We can meditate on the unknown. Or we can focus our minds on what we know – the things God tells us to think about. The Bible tells us to fix our thoughts on things that are “true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable”; it exhorts us to “[t]hink about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8 (NLT)).
You can purposefully shift your thoughts by choosing to think about
- how God has provided for you in the past;
- the promises God has made to you in the Bible;
- the way God saved you and how He gave you eternal life when you surrendered to Him;
- the blessings God has given you; and
- the things you are thankful for.
Put on some worship music and sing praises to God. Read His Word and seek out the promises He has made to you. Make a list of the ways God has been faithful to you in the past. Take a walk and count the different varieties of flowers you see along the way.
So don’t worry about the future. Don’t be anxious about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Instead, choose to live one day at a time while abiding in Jesus. Be present with Jesus and walk by faith with Him.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
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