I Need | He Provides: Needs
Matthew 6:25-34 is popularly titled “Do Not Worry,” and for a good reason. In verse 31 and again in closing, Jesus tells His disciples and the crowds around Him not to worry. If you’ve read the story behind a cozy little nook, you know that this scripture is part of the foundation of my faith in Christ. Because of this, I’ve long believed that God will provide ALL of my needs. If I need to eat, He will provide the means to eat. If I’m thirsty, He will provide the means to drink. If I need clothes to wear, He will provide the means to have. If I need a way to get somewhere, a way will be made. If I need a home to sleep in, a home will be made. If I am in need, He will provide — that’s the basic principle. Recently, I revisited the scripture and had the opportunity to understand deeper:
Matthew 6:25-34 NLT “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough clothes to wear, or food and drink. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in the barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
It all started with a thought about “seek the Kingdom of God,” when I realized this verse was connected to another thing I’d been unearthing: the proverbial it. I’d learned that the proverbial it for all believers cannot be done or found apart from Christ because Christ is the way to our heavenly Father. As I thought more on what that meant, it dawned on me:
When He says not to worry about our needs, He wasn’t only referring to our physical needs and desires. We can seek God to provide what we need personally, but the food, drink, and garment Jesus referred to aren’t just physical. Seeking first the kingdom of God is seeking God for and in everything, especially when it comes to His Kingdom. There are needs we have in the Spirit; food, drink, and clothes we need that only He can provide, and only He will fulfill. This is horizontal and vertical thinking — seeking what is ahead and above.
My mind was absolutely BLOWN by the fact that my original understanding of this verse only touched the surface. Our heavenly Father desires not to leave us without, so He will provide for our survival needs, but that’s not all He desires to give us. God’s eyes are on our hearts and the health of our souls, so He tells us to seek the kingdom of God before all else, so we can be filled with all that we need:
Heavenly Food: the bread of life — Heavenly drink: living water — Heavenly garments: resurrection.
This study gives us a closer look at Matthew 6:25-34 and will be shared in 5 installments, including this post. The next 4 installments are in this order:
The Bread — The Water — The Garment — Just Ask
In the first two parts of this study, we can gain a better understanding of what it is we hunger and thirst for in the Spirit, where it comes from, and how we can attain it. Ref. Beatitudes: Hunger and Thirst. In the last part of the study, we can gain a better understanding of renewal and transformation in Christ.
As I continue to dive deeper into my desire for wisdom and understanding of what matters to the heart of our heavenly Father, I pray the same for you.
