Each Day's Own Trouble

Matthew 6:32b-34

"...for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Praise the Lord for His bountiful grace! I deserve none of His good gifts, and yet He lavishes them freely. This passage holds two related gifts:  the lack of the need to worry about 1) tomorrow, or 2) my basic needs. I just need to focus on seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, and He'll take care of the rest. So what does that look like?

The greek word for "seek" in this verse is zeteo, and one of its sub-definitions is "to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into." So the more I think about, meditate on, and find out about His kingdom and righteousness, God Himself will see to my needs. How do I find out about them? How do I think and meditate upon them? By reading His Word.

God gave us His Living Word - the Bible and infallible Word of God - for our knowledge (among other things). If I seek after God and His kingdom and how to be like Him within the pages of that book, God will reveal Himself. Each time that I read it when I am truly seeking Him, I come away with a little something more. That's part of what makes it "living." Even if I find myself reading it without truly seeking, I fill my mind with its thoughts, and remind myself of some piece of His truth. It helps me to Meditate upon Him - even when I stop reading.

As with all things in the Bible, it isn't just about the academia. It isn't just about reading and learning about Him; it's about applying what I have learned. So to seek His kingdom and righteousness after I have set the Bible down, I am to live it. I am to live in Light of Eternity with Him, and  For His Glory. What, in this moment - not tomorrow - would glorify Him?

I thank the Lord for this grace of not needing to worry about tomorrow or my basic needs, and instead to have the ability to focus on and seek Him.

Unashamed Prayer

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you.”

I have recognized something in myself that the Lord recently addressed with me:  we don’t have to be ashamed to ask God for something that we don’t know He will grant.  That’s just pride talking.  There is no harm in asking if He will heal small hurts or big hurts, save your friend or a stranger, or even give you enough paper clips to see a project through.  There is no shame in asking - or in receiving a "no" answer.  

Just pray.  He wants you to cast your cares on Him.  Wait to see what His answer is; He can’t answer if you don’t ask in the first place.  Don’t place your hope in a “yes” answer - your hope is in Christ, the very High Priest whose grace enabled you to speak with God directly - but God isn't too busy to be bothered with your petitions. 

Even if His answer is "no" or "wait," the time may come when the answer is "yes."  If asking is destroying your contentment in Christ, then perhaps it's time to stop asking. Otherwise, be thankful in your petition and leave it in God’s hands from there. It doesn't "reflect on you" if He says "no."