“See the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tommorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” Matthew 6:25-31
Immediately, God follows this verse with the command to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness in verse 33. If we can obey God and put his kingdom first, all the things we worry over will be given to us as well. We refuse to share the gospel and bring in the harvest of souls to degree God desires because we are concerned with caring for our own needs. In Mark 4:19, it states that the cares of this world choke out the word and make it unfruitful. We use our gifts, time, and money to make provisions for own own cares–to clothe ourselves. But Jesus tells us to regard the birds of the air, they do not toil. They do not store or reap. They do not store away in barns. We should regard how magnificently clothed birds are. Do we not marvel at their beauty? He commands us to look at the lilies of the field…they are remarkablly dressed in the most intricately beautiful design. Yet, they also have done nothing to contribute to their clothing. Yet we toil and toil, to make provisions for our own cares–depriving the kingdom of God of our time and talent. Has your toil provided you with a fraction of the wealth that Solomon had? He was the richest man in the world according to II Chronicles 9, but the text states that not even he could not use wealth to by clothing as illustrious as this simple wild flower clothed by God. Therefore, we would do well to place his kingdom first as he commands. We can’t place our cares first and expect God to honor them. God requires an exchange. Place your heart on his kingdom and his righteousness, and you can hand your worries over to him.
Maybe you are not just worried about making provisions, maybe you are inundated by many troubles. But I implore you, take your mind off your burden. Give it over to God. When you take your heart off your own troubles, he will make provision for all them. If you have suffered loss of a home or job he will make provide a way for you at his set time. I Peter 5:6-7 reads, “humble 
yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all of your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you.” Is there a burden on your heart? Worry no longer! Stop trying to handle it yourself. Wait for God to perfect your concerns at his time. The prideful man tries to handle it himself and trusts in his own provisions. But we can trust in God because scripture tells us that he cares for us.
Luke 21:34 says “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down…with the anxieties of life. God has not overlooked your troubles. Look at the life of Paul, did any christian have more troubles than he? Yet, his heart was not weighed down. Despite his troubles, he remained kingdom focused. He knew his eternal reward was more important than “light and momentary troubles”–as he called them. What is the attitude of your heart? Is it weighed down? Proverbs 15:15 reads “But the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” We cannot always choose what happens to us. But we can choose our attitude as we face each situation. We can worry or we can choose to have a cheerful heart. Paul…the same man who was shipwrecked twice, beaten with rods, imprisoned…had the secret for dealing with worries and troubles. In Phillipians 4, he says be anxious for nothing, instead think on those things that are noble, right, true, lovely and of a good report. I pray that we cease from worry but maintain a cheerful heart. May we think on things that are good. And foremost, may we pursue Christ’s kingdom first-in lieu of focusing on our own cares and concerns.
