Two-minute read.
“We don’t know what starving is,” a friend said to me one day when I used starving to describe my hunger. I’ve never forgotten that moment from so many years ago; it gave me a new perspective on hunger.
I have never starved. Born to a middle-class family in America, I’ve always had food on my table, clothes on my back, and a bed to sleep in at night.
Yet somehow, I became a worrier.
When Jesus spoke these words, He addressed something that competes with our trust in God: anxious concern about whether we will have enough.
When the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, God provided manna from heaven. Each morning it appeared on the ground, fresh and delightful. The Lord gave them only one command: gather only enough for today.
“But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell.”
Exodus 16:20 (NLT)
Human nature makes us want a little extra, “in case something happens.” But God gives us what we need for today. He doesn’t meet tomorrow’s need today. The Lord lives in the present with us, and He wants us to stay present with Him. As Jesus reminds us, He takes care of the birds of the air; He’ll take care of us, too.
By pointing to the birds, Christ gives us something ordinary to look at. They don’t plant crops or store up harvests in barns, yet God provides for them. And then He asks the pivotal question: Aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?
Jesus gets to the heart of the matter.
If God cares for His creation, how much more does He care for His children?
Christ doesn’t tell us to stop worrying. Instead, He reminds us of our place in God’s family. Our heavenly Father knows our needs and will provide for them. We may not know how the Lord will provide, but we can trust that He will.
Journal Questions:
- What are you currently worrying about, and what would it look like for you to place that concern in God’s hands today?
- Where in your life do you need to remind yourself that your Heavenly Father knows what you need and cares deeply for you?
- What can you learn from the birds about trusting in God’s provision rather than carrying tomorrow’s worries today?
Application:
Take time to look at the birds and how well God cares for them. Remind yourself that He cares even more for you.
