May we Choose to Trust

Matthew chapter 6 is one of my favorite chapters in scripture. In that chapter you find the Lords Prayer (verses 5-15) which gives us insight on how to and how not to pray, a serious challenge about choosing to focus on God rather than money and the things of this world (verses 19-24), and then a reminder that God knows what we need and a challenge to trust him and not be anxious (verses 25-34). It is that last section of chapter 6 that has become almost an anthem to me over the past few years.

For the past few years, life has been…um, I’ll use the word difficult to describe it. And during that particular season of life, Matthew 6:25-34 became one of the passages I would read on a regular basis. Because I needed it. I needed to remember to trust God and not be anxious. To focus on the truth that I need to trust him and seek after him first, knowing he will give me my needs. I needed that.

I needed to choose trust

Well, here I am yet again…needing this very reminder again. Needing to remember that God will provide for my needs, that being anxious won’t help, and that I need to seek after him first.

Honestly, we all need those truths right now. Because for so many of us, this time in our country with COVID-19 and all the social distancing and work being shut down or done at home is causing a lot of worry and fear and even anxiety. We don’t know what to expect…it’s as if we wait each day to see what will happen next. And that leads us to asking a lot of questions…

When will schools and jobs go back to normal?
When will we be able to meet and socialize in groups again?
When will we feel safe to leave our house and/or go to the store?
When will we be able to go to church and/or other activities again?
When will our finances can get back to being more regular?

…just to name a few…

For me, it’s the questions about work and finances that are causing me to struggle with worry and fear and anxiety. That is one of the main reasons I’ve had a rough time the past few years, so I already wasn’t in a place where not working for a long time would be easy to manage. So now more than ever, I need the truth of Matthew 6:25-34. And especially verse 27…

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

That is a great question! It’s a question I need to ask myself often. Does me feeling or getting anxious about the current financial struggles help anything, or add any more time to my life, or change my current situation in any way? No, it doesn’t. So then why add to the struggle by also being anxious? If it doesn’t help, then it only makes a difficult situation even worse.

I need to choose trust

What about you? What part (or parts) of this current time in our country and world has you struggling and worrying? What questions shared above…or other questions…keep running through your head? What causes the most anxiety in you these days?

There are times in our life that cause our faith to be tested. Times that reveal where we get our strength from. Where we see areas of our life that we struggle with fear and worry and anxiety more than we’d care to admit, as well as areas we are struggling to trust God and his promises.

Times like that are never easy or comfortable, especially in the moment. In fact, the truth is they are quite difficult. But we can also learn and grow from times like these. Grow in learning to focus on God more, remembering more his truths and promises, and choosing to trust him more than we may have before.

We need to choose trust

May we honestly ask our self what our focus is on, and where we get our strength from. Do we try and do everything on our own and in our own strength? Are we more focused on what worries us most and on having the things of this world?

-OR-

Do we get our strength from the Lord? Have we learned to accept help from others when we need it (often, God takes care of us and helps us by providing that care and help through others)? Do we choose to focus on seeking God first, and on remembering his promises?

As we seek to Simply Follow Jesus in this life…and as we seek to keep our eyes on Jesus especially in this particularly difficult time, may we seek to choose to trust him. Even when it’s hard. Even when things are difficult and we don’t understand what is happening or what will happen next.