“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
Children are generally clueless as to the “bigger picture” which their parents see. They live so much in the “now” that they can’t understand the rationale for having to wait for anything. “Why can’t I?” is the refrain of the frustrated.
God Father also has more in mind than we’re aware of. While we are concerned about what we shall eat and wear today, His concerns pertain to the coming of His kingdom on the earth and His righteousness in our lives. In our short-sightedness, we are chiefly focused on how events in the larger world are immediately impacting our own little world. But God is focused on the “long game.” In His inscrutable wisdom, He is orchestrating all things toward His own blessed end-goal.
It’s easy to get overly wrapped up in the now. Even the good king Hezekiah made the present he inhabited his pre-eminent concern. When the Lord told him of coming judgment that would befall the next generation he, in effect, said: “That’s cool, as long as things are still chill in my day.”
“Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” (2 Kings 20:17-19)
God still rules in the affairs of men. Yes, He cares for the smallest sparrow, and promises to meet the daily needs of His beloved children. But children also need to grow up and begin to understand that the world does not revolve around them. If God’s chastening judgments are in the earth, and things are not so good in our day because of it, so be it. Above all else, our concern should not be our belly or our bank account, it should be the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
If we will make His concerns our top priority, He will take care of us today and tomorrow. He will watch over us and supply for us even in an evil day. And by not fretting, as those who don’t know God do, we will show the world that God is still in charge and a new and better world is on the way.