Depend on Him Above All Else
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Growing up, my family would take a yearly trip to the mountains to view the changing leaves. We would spend the day hiking and, once we reached the peak, see a sea of red, yellow, and orange in all of the trees. Sometimes, it was as if the colors were so bright that they would hurt your eyes.
I am so thankful that seasons are dependable. I never have to wonder if autumn will come again next year or not. God provides all that the trees need in order for the leaves to fall, grow, and change colors again the next year.
Though things like seasons are dependable, we know that life is not always this way. Things change, whether we want them to or not.
At the time of writing this post, things feel very uneasy in my life. War has broken out in the Middle East. My husband and I are trying for a baby. We are trying to figure out where God wants us to plant roots for our family. I don’t get to see my family very often because they live on the other side of the country.
I like to think that I don’t worry. I like to tell myself that things out of my control don’t bother me. In reality, I do worry. I can easily get bogged down by the things that are out of my hands.
It is in these moments that the enemy wants nothing more than for me to believe that there is no hope. He wants me to think that I must control my circumstances, because God is not in control. This is wholeheartedly untrue.
Matthew reminds us that God is undoubtedly in control. Because of this, we don’t have to worry. Instead, we can be set apart and seek God’s kingdom in all that we do and with all that we are. When we do this, we can rest easy knowing that He will provide exactly what we need.
God sees.
God knows.
God cares.
God Sees
Just like God sees what the animals and plants need to survive, God sees and provides exactly what we need. More than simply surviving, though it may be in seasons, God provides for our spiritual thriving.
In times of worry, I first and foremost need to remind myself of who God is – His character. God is good. He is loving, just, patient, sovereign, kind, all-powerful, all-knowing, and faithful. Focusing on who He is helps me take my eyes off of myself and on to the One who sees all, and far better than I can.
When we are spiritually set apart, we can set our eyes on the Creator and our heavenly Father knowing He will take care of all that we need. It may not necessarily be what we want, but exactly what we need. Sometimes, we don’t even know what we need, yet God, in His kindness, continues to provide.
God Knows
Not only does God see, but He also knows. Worry likes to make us think that we’re all alone. God, however, tells us that we are His dearly beloved children (1 John 3:1). Nothing is out of His reach. Nothing catches Him off guard.
Instead of worry, we can take our requests, our fears, and our concerns to Him (Philippians 4:6). He wants to hear from us. Paul continues by telling us in Philippians 4:7 that when we take our anxious requests to God, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is the antidote to worry.
God Cares
What’s more is that our all-seeing, all-knowing God cares. This is not a care that comes out of obligation or pity but abiding care out of His deep love.
Jesus Christ knows what it is like to be human. He experienced many of the same joys, hurts, and hardships of this life. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to sympathize with our weakness; therefore, we can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Matthew 6:34 states, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Though it is a command for believers, it is rooted in the truth that God has written out all the days of our lives. His provision is not dependent on my production. He is orchestrating all things for our good and His glory.
When things feel out of control or if the end of a long, hard season seems far away, know that you have a Savior who goes before you, comes behind you, and is with you through each day.
For believers who have placed their faith in Jesus, we are given the command to pursue his kingdom above all else. We don’t pursue righteousness when things are easy and going well, we pursue it over everything else.
Matthew 24:35 tells us, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” We don’t need to worry about the world because God has promised that, through believers, He is building something better that will last for eternity.
The world may tell us that worry is a part of life or that we can provide for ourselves if we work hard enough, but we can be set apart from the ways of the world as we rest in our Savior. When we can entrust our days to His control, it frees us up to be on mission to love our neighbors, share the gospel, serve the body of Christ, to further the kingdom to the ends of the earth. We won’t be distracted or held down by the unknowns of life. We can keep our eyes steady and focused on the one who is Sovereign.
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