Yesterday, I was doing some yard work in North Alabama and two fighter jets flew overhead. I watched them the entire time they were in view. In my head, I was thinking, what are they doing all the way out here? Could they be responding to some foreign threat? The answer, though, was a lot less exciting. We aren’t too far from an Airforce base, and they’re probably just doing a training exercise.
These days, we probably find ourselves making many dramatic assumptions. There are two wars involving nuclear powers going on and the United States is heavily involved in both. Every time our government promises more money to these efforts, we wonder how close we are to entering the wars ourselves. If we are not careful, this amount of worry can lead us to sin.
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus spoke one of His most famous sayings, “…do not worry about your life.” But doesn’t everyone worry? Worrying is a natural reaction to help us stay focused on the things that matter to us. We have families to provide for, work to do, and obligations to uphold, and God expects us to do these things (cf. 1 Tim. 5:8). So, what is Jesus talking about here?
The word being translated “worry” is the Greek word merimnao. This word means “to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned.” So, what Jesus has in mind is not the legitimate concerns we have that motivate us to meet our responsibilities. He is talking about the worrying that lingers despite the promises God has made to us.
God has promised us that He will take care of our needs. Look back at Matthew 6. Jesus points out everyday things that people worry about (what we eat, what we drink, what we wear) and tells us that God has already taken care of them. He says, “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (6:32-33). God has more important things for us to do. If we are busy worrying about the things God is going to take care of, we will be of no use to Him.
The world is fighting for our attention. While we certainly need to be aware of possible threats to our families, we cannot allow the temporary fears of this world to distract us from our eternal purpose. When the media inundates us with wars and rumors of wars, Jesus says, “See that you are not troubled…” (Matt. 24:6). We have work to do (Matt. 28:19-20) and our mission to proclaim the gospel does not end until Jesus returns (1 Cor. 11:26). So, don’t worry about the jets flying overhead. Stay focused and see how God might use you today.