It’s week four of our Loaves & Fishes series about stories in the Bible that show us God’s provision for us. Today’s Happy Monday devotion dips into the last portion of Matthew 6, which is the middle part of Jesus’ longest message, his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6). 

 

In this portion of scripture, Jesus addresses money, possessions, anxiety, and trusting God with the future. Everything that Jesus taught the ancient crowds is so relatable to our lives today.

 

Are you ready to do a giant exhale today? So many of you have a lot going on! God knows you’re overwhelmed, but He doesn’t want you to carry it, because He cares for you. So, I want to pray for you before we jump into today’s devotion:

 

Now, let’s jump into three verses toward the end of Matthew 6. I’m sharing three practical meditations for you to focus on when worry sets in:

 

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Don’t worry?” He means don’t worry! There’s not need to look for deeper meaning in Jesus’ teaching. Jesus wants us to stop assuming the worst will happen. 

 

I heard someone say that “worry is a form of atheism.”’ While I leave room for medical anxiety where our nervous systems need medical attention, there are other forms of anxiety of our own making. When we forget about God, and we carry the things God never told us to carry. That’s what Jesus tells us to stop doing.

 

Jesus didn’t telling the crowd to ignore their problems. He saw their reality. The Jewish people faced brutal Roman oppression and food scarcity. I have a tender spot in my heart for the Jewish women in the audience. I imagine they worried everyday about how much food they had and how to stretch it. I’m sure they worried about their children as well as their sons, brothers, or husbands who had to go out and find food.

 

Yet, Jesus told the crowd not to worry because he came to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. In God’s kingdom, God takes care of His own.  One of the hallmark of a disciple is trusting God to take care of our daily lives so that we can focus on being the light of Jesus in the world. 

 

While we can’t control our circumstances, we can change how we think. The key line in my Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle Bible study is: The difference between worry and worship is who you’re talking to.

 

REPEAT THIS MEDITATION: If you need to refocus your mind away from worry,, here’s a brief meditation from my Winning the Worry Battle book you can repeat to yourself whenever the worry creeps in.

 

 

 

 

Silly, but real question: Do you ever see birds clocking in for work? Have you ever watched a bird work overtime?

 

Clearly, I’m being dramatic, but take a moment and consider that birds don’t have to do a single thing, and God cares for them.

 

Friend, God is committed to doing the same for you.

 

Yet, I suspect that many of us will hear God say one of the following – or both,

 

Over the years, I’ve heard from many discouraged Christian women who look around at unanswered prayers or endless hardships and wonder, “Does God have favorites?  I keep getting the short end of the stick.”

 

If this is you,I hold space for your unanswered prayers, I grieve your losses, and at the same time, I must remind you of God’s care and love for you. Here’s an eternal perspective that many lose sight of:

 

 

REPEAT THIS MEDITATION: I matter to God. He cares about me.

 

 

In 2017, my dad was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. The doctors told us that Dad only had a few days to live.  I was smack in the middle of writing my Winning the Worry Battle book – how’s that for timing?

 

My head spun. But, I knew that I had a critical decision to make. My dad only had days left, so would I spend Dad’s final precious moments worrying or clinging to God’s peace? Thankfully, I could cling to God’s peace by using the meditation tools that I share in today’s devotion.

 

You  have one precious life, my dear friend. Tomorrow isn’t promised to you or those you love. Only you can choose not to let worry waste those precious moments. Give your worries and cares to God (1 Peter 5:7). Instead of worry, spend time with loved ones, visit friends, tell others about Jesus, and focus on God’s faithfulness. This is how you make the most of the precious moments of life!

 

REPEAT THIS MEDITATION: I will give myself the gift of focusing on the present.

 

In last week’s Happy Monday devotion, I shared a prayer challenge that invited you to pray without asking God for anything. I loved Ora’s email back to me about what she does – and this could inspire you, too!