WE WON'T BREAK

We Won’t Break

Read: Matthew 6:25–34
Bible in a Year: Numbers 23–25; Mark 7:14–37

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?—Matthew 6:27

As a native Californian and lover of all things sunny, I shy away from all things cold. I do, however, enjoy beautiful photos of snow. So I couldn’t help but smile when my friend from Illinois shared a winter picture of a sapling outside her window. Admiration turned to sadness when I noticed its bare, knotted branches bowing under the heavy fringe of sparkling icicles.

How long could those bending boughs endure before breaking under their icy burdens? The heaviness threatening to crack the tree’s limbs reminded me of my shoulders, hunched beneath the weight of worries.

After Jesus affirms that the greatest treasures are not earthly or temporary, He encourages us to release our anxious thoughts. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe loves and provides for His children, so we don’t have to waste our precious time worrying. God knows our needs and will care for us (Matthew 6:19-32).

He also knows we’ll be tempted to succumb to worry. He tells us to come to Him first, trust His presence and provision in the present, and live by faith one day at a time (vv. 33-34).

In this life, we’ll face overwhelming troubles and uncertainties that can make our shoulders droop. We may temporarily bend under the weight of worrying. But when we trust God, we won’t break. —Xochitl Dixon

Thanks for assuring us that we never have to worry, Lord, because You never fail to meet our deepest needs.

Worry won’t break us when we trust the Giver of all good things.

INSIGHT: We see God’s loving care and provision for His people throughout the Bible. A quick look at the Psalms confirms it. In Psalm 23, we read: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (v. 4). And Psalm 55:22 tells us to “cast [our] cares on the Lord and he will sustain [us].” Likewise, Psalm 91 assures us that God is our refuge and even commands His angels to guard us (vv. 9-11). “He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (95:7).

What concern can you entrust to Him? Alyson Kieda

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