“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:25-26
Also see  Luke 12:22-26

Worry Expends Energy While Taking You Nowhere 
I have an exercise bike (which I confess I don’t use nearly enough!) This bike functions much like an ordinary bicycle; it has gear settings, uphill and downhill settings, a calorie burning counter and a heart rate monitor. The only thing missing is wheels. I could get onto this bike and pedal for 30 – 40 minutes, expending all my energy, and go absolutely nowhere. This is exactly what worry is like. 

God says we are to cast all our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. You can read it for yourself   2 Peter 5:7

In Matthew 6:25-26  Jesus tells us not to worry. This isn’t a mild suggestion from Jesus, it’s a firm command – “do not be anxious about your life”. 

Yet we all still do it. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t, at some time or another, worry or get stressed out over a situation. How easily we forget that in Jesus we have a Good Shepherd; we are the sheep of His pasture. As our Shepherd He supplies everything we need. Psalm 23:1

Worrying is just the same as saying to God, “I don’t trust you to take care of me.”

Worrying is taking back control, and trying to do it all on my own. How silly, not to mention arrogant, that is, when God instructs me so clearly to cast all my anxieties on Him, because he cares for me. 

All your anxieties means just that – all of them! We can trust God to take care of every detail of our lives. Every bill, bank statement, doctor’s appointment, job interview, pregnancy, house-move, marital difficulty. 
But this means surrendering it over to Him, totally, ceasing to worry.

One day last year I was carrying my grocery shopping to the car. I’d done my shopping in one of those shops that doesn’t allow you to take the trolley outside. The bags were so heavy that I could only take small, slow steps. I had a sore shoulder at the time too, which didn’t help the situation! Then, out of nowhere, a big strong man was at my side, saying “would you like some help?” He carried my groceries all the way to my car. I was so grateful to this stranger for his kindness. The relief in my arms and shoulders, from handing over that burden was so great that I wanted to skip across the car park. Can you imagine me saying to the man after a few steps, “I’ll take those back now”? Yet that’s exactly what we do when it comes to God and our worries! 

Give Him all your worries today – and leave them there, with Him. You can trust your unknown future to the One you know! 

Jill 💜