Coming into this experience, I was full of excitement, but also full of fear and worry. If you haven’t read my previous blog, going through all of the emotions that I was feeling, go check it out:) It’s titled “Let Him handle it”, and is found on this website as well :-).
So, as you can tell from that post, I was feeling more fear and worry than anything, and one of my favorite things about God, is that He seeks to meet us where we’re at. He didn’t wait for me to get over my fears, He met me where I was, and pulled me through them. He gave me the desire to begin reading through the gospels (for the millionth time ever, yet I still learn something new each time). So, I began in Matthew.
Fear, and worry, is something that is addressed all over the bible. And there are so many verses that we can write on our hearts to “cast anxiety on Him”, and “do not fear, the Lord our God is with you”, and so many more. However, today, God met me where I was in the gospels, as I read through Matthew 6.
In this chapter, Jesus is talking to the disciples, and He says,
“Therefore, do not be like them. For your father knows the things you have need of before you ask for them”
Matthew 6:8
He knows my needs before I ever ask. I have to let that sit for a minute. Before I ever asked Him to calm my fears, He knew they were there, and that I needed peace. He was ready to fill me with His peace. How comforting to know, that the King of Kings knows MY heart, and wants to meet MY needs, before I even ask, before I even know what they are myself. Y’all ever stop for a second, and realize that God answered a prayer that you never prayed. He saw a need, He fixed it, and you just have to look back and say “thank you”. Wow. What a God!!!!!!!!!!!
I started writing this piece, and was waiting to post it until I had access to wi-fi. I think the Lord was using that as another way to have me hold off on posting, because the next day, I had a pretty cool conversation that really just emphasized what the Lord has been teaching me in Matthew 6. The host home that we are staying at here in Ecuador, is owned and run by a sweet couple, that just recently had a baby girl. She was 9 days old the day that we arrived- a BABY girl! I was having a conversation with the man, and he was sharing with me his excitement, but also the honest truths, that newborns are hard. He was telling me that, on Sunday night, his wife was exhausted, so after she breast-fed the baby, he let her go to bed and offered to care for the baby the rest of the night and get her to bed. His wife passed OUT! And he could not get their little girl to calm down and stop crying, and every time he thought she was done crying, he would set her down, and almost immediately, she would start screaming again. He shared how he was left feeling defeated, and allowed his flesh to take over, and believe lie. He said, “I kept thinking my daughter doesn’t love me. I knew it was a lie in my soul, but my flesh could not help it”. When we arrived on Monday night, we brought a bag of gift that Adventures in Missions (the organization that world race is a branch of, that sends us to all these cool places to serve the Lord) had gathered to send to them. It was a duffel bag full of baby gifts. One of the things they sent was books that they could read to their baby girl, and one of the books in there was titled “I love my dad”. Each page started with “I love my dad because…” and listed things that dads do for their children, in love. He said “I began crying because I was reminded that she does love me, God loves me!!” The joy on this man’s face, as he recognized that God saw his hurts and His needs, and had prepared days, maybe even weeks, in advance to meet his needs. HOW COOL?!!!! And right as God was teaching me this, He gave me a tangible example.
Jesus then continues in Matthew 6, when He gives the disciples the Lord’s prayer, and one line really resonated with me on this topic. He says
“Give us this day our daily bread”
Matthew 6:11
He says “give us THIS day our DAILY bread” Not, “give me this weeks bread”, nor “give me this months bread”, not “give me this years bread”. No. He says THIS day. Start the day asking God to provide what you need for that day, and no doubt He will. He wants to. But He wants you to come back to Him daily to be fed. Ask again tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. He will provide. Go to Him daily and ask. He wants to talk to you, He wants to hear from you.
Jesus continues to say,
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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?”
Matthew 6:25
So, I read this, and I was kinda like “ok cool but like…ok Jesus.” It SHOULD be enough for Jesus to just tell us, hey don’t worry. We SHOULD get it by that point. But He knows us, and our minds that are full of disbelief, just like my mind was. I wasn’t confident after just that (I know what?? Not believing Jesus?? Like, He’s JESUS!! But how often do we say we believe, but when it gets down to it, we’re like okay wait..? But He KNOWS US!!) He continues…
He says “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Matthew 6:26
The birds, they do nothing! They don’t worry about getting their next meal. They go find it, and it’s there. The Lord provides for these little creatures, abundantly. And Jesus straight up tells us, that we are more valuable to the Father than they are. If He provides for them, He will most certainly provide for us. All we have to do is ask, which Jesus tells us as well.
He continues with “Therefore, do not worry saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things, the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:31-33
Long verse I know, and weird language sometimes, I use the King James Version, so super ancient language. But just break it down.
“Don’t worry. Here are the things that you need. Your heavenly Father knows. Seek Him. He’ll give you all of these.” -Meghann International Version.
God knows what you need. Who are we, to think He doesn’t know. Seek Him, and He will provide. Believe that in your heart, and you have no reason to fear or worry, about what is to come. Seek Him, and He will provide. I know we say we know this, but listen to Jesus literally tell us how dumb we are to doubt GOD??!! (Ok Jesus doesn’t call us dumb, but that’s kinda how I felt after reading this. Like hello). If you needed to hear it, here is your reminder, Seek Him, and He will provide.
