“Do not be anxious.” That’s what Jesus says, but that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? When the right decision is not obvious, when we are faced with losing what is dearest to us, when the circumstances of our lives slip out of our control, worry is as natural as breathing. In the face of such pressures, how can we conquer our understandable fears?

Well, we can start by remembering Who is really in control. That’s why Jesus directs our attention away from our plans and schemes to the One Who created the birds of the air in so many shapes, sizes, and colors, the One Who gave each one of them a separate song to sing – and to some of them the ability to mimic others’ songs. Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father makes sure the birds have enough to eat, so surely we can trust that He can and will provide for us too.

Next, Jesus points out the lilies of the field, the wildflowers that explode in a riot of color every spring. If our heavenly Father can clothe mere grass in such a tremendous variety of textures and hues, how can we doubt that He will make sure we will have enough to wear? After all, He knows our needs even better than we do.

And so we see that the antidote for worry is not a process but a Person. To the extent that we set our hearts and minds on the Kingdom of God, remembering God’s authority and power to meet all our needs, our fears will wither away. But that’s only if we are loyal subjects of our Almighty King, living in a way that is in agreement with His sovereign will. Yes, if we will abandon our attempts to control our own lives and seek His kingdom and His righteousness instead, we will have nothing to fear.

And that’s the best news of all: for Jesus died to do everything necessary to restore all of us to a right relationship with our heavenly Father. And so if we will but trust Him as our Savior and bow the knee to Him as our Lord, we will not only have no need to fear eternal judgment. We can also be sure that our God will give us each day our daily bread, providing all our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). And that means we will have no reason to fear, no matter what troubles may come our way.

Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB)

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?
28 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
30 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?
31 “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’
32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.