DO NOT WORRY — THE QUIET FREEDOM OF TRUST
Worry slips into the heart like a thief in the night; it steals today by pretending to prepare us for tomorrow. Yet our Lord—gentle, patient, sovereign over sparrows and seasons—speaks directly into that anxious ache. In Matthew chapter 6, He lays down principles so simple that a child can grasp them and so profound that a lifetime cannot exhaust them. And in His words, we find not only comfort; we find a command rooted in His own presence.
First, worry does not help anything. “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27). There is a holy bluntness here, the kind that clears the fog and lets the soul breathe again. Jesus is not dismissing our troubles; He is lifting our eyes. Worry does not lengthen life, strengthen faith, or lighten burdens. It is a weight without purpose—an energy spent on shadows. Christ calls us to remember that anxiety produces nothing good; trust produces everything needed.
Second, tomorrow is not here yet. “Do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). The future does not belong to us—not even the next breath, not even the next hour. The Father holds every sunrise in His hand, and He alone knows what each day will bring. Worry tries to live a tomorrow we have not been given; faith receives the grace that belongs to today. There is a rhythm here—daily bread, daily mercy, daily strength. We live one sunrise at a time; anything more becomes a burden we were never meant to carry.
Third, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow—so why worry about next week? Jesus presses this truth gently: “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). Not only is tomorrow outside your grasp; it is outside your knowledge. You cannot see around the corner of time. Only the Father sees the fields before they bloom. Worry tries to write a story that only God can write. But faith says, “My Father knows.” And that is enough.
Fourth, the Father Himself is the antidote to worry. This is the heartbeat of the whole passage: Look at the birds. Consider the lilies. Watch the fields, and learn how God provides. If He clothes grass that lives for a moment, how much more will He clothe the ones who bear His image? “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:32). Worry assumes we are alone; Jesus reminds us that we are held. Worry whispers scarcity; Jesus speaks abundance. Worry imagines an orphaned world; Jesus reveals a Father’s care.
Finally, seek God first, and everything else finds its place. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). This is not a promise that life will be easy; it is a promise that life will be guided. When Christ reigns in the center, the future no longer has to. When His kingdom is our pursuit, our needs come under His provision. When His righteousness is our desire, our fears bow to His presence.
And so we come back to where Jesus began—“Do not worry.” Not because life is small, but because the Father is great. Not because our troubles are imaginary, but because His care is real. Today is enough for today; tomorrow will be met by grace when it arrives. The One who holds eternity invites us to walk with Him one step at a time—unhurried, unafraid, resting in the God who provides before we ask and leads before we understand.
May we breathe deeply of His peace today; may we trust Him with tomorrow when tomorrow comes.
BDD
