Do you worry about having enough food to eat? Are you picky about the food you eat? Have you gone without meals due to not having enough food? Or have you gone without food because you didn’t like what was available? Do you rely on God to provide your food?
Most of us have no need to worry about eating. Many of us have pantries with enough food to last at least a couple weeks. Oh, there may not be our favorite snack in the pantry, but there is something there to eat. We have gotten spoiled by the availability of food.
Our western culture has gotten so rich that if we don’t find something we want to eat in our house, we drive a short distance to a restaurant. We make our lists for our grocery runs to ensure we keep our shelves packed with what we might want to eat. We throw food away that has expired because we thought we might want it at some time, then never ate it.
In the first century, this was not the case. Though they may have had a few staples in their homes, they didn’t have large pantries. They often had to rely on getting food every day or two to feed their families. Travelers relied on the ability to purchase food along their routes, much like we do today. However, the difference was they traveled on foot, which meant sometimes staying out in the open country for a night or two between towns. They would only carry what food they knew they would eat between towns.
Yet, Jesus tells the people not to worry about what they would eat. He also changed what they could eat by stating anything God provides is approved for eating. The previous restrictions no longer applied. Why would Jesus go to this trouble? Perhaps He wanted the people to focus more on God than their bellies. Perhaps He wanted to set priorities straight for us. When we trust God to provide for our needs, we no longer need worry about them. We can focus on his will for us and go about doing his work.
I pray we all focus on God as our top priority. I pray we trust God to provide for our needs. I pray each one of us accept what God provides, trusting he will take care of us. Trust God to provide. Spend less time focused on needs. Focus on God. Know that God will care for you.
Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
Marty Pressey 