Wednesday November 18, 2020

Begin this new day by praying this prayer out loud. As you are able, consider kneeling as a physical expression of your commitment to Jesus as Lord of your life and the one you desire to lead you this day. Alternatively, you might consider placing a hand over your heart as you pray this prayer.

God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your great and beautiful mission in the world. Here I am Lord, fill me with Your Spirit and send me.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27

Prior to these verses, Jesus told us not to store up earthly treasures (Matt. 6:19–24). And then, he seemed to know what we would say, “How will we eat and have clothes without money and other resources?” Jesus responded to our unspoken question with “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” Taken in the context of other scriptures, Jesus is certainly not saying we should sit around waiting for provisions. We must be industrious and productive, but working out of fear for the future is not the same thing as glorifying God with our labor.

Life invites us to worry about tomorrow. Yet Christ says this anxiety is foolish. Birds do not worry, and still, they find food each day. When we make God’s kingdom the center of our lives, God meets all our needs.

In what ways are you worrying about the future? How can God help you let go of those worries?

When you are finished with your time of reflection, close out this time with this prayer.

Father, help me to live this day to the full,
being true to You in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others,
being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost,
proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.