Take No Thought

September 11, 2007

“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  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.” Matthew 6:30-32

Oftentimes, I say I am taking my burdens to the Lord and leaving them right there. Truthfully, it’s only at that very moment, when I am on my knees that I present Him with my plate full of intertwined noodles, while keeping one hand on the plate.

Am I afraid that my plate is too full for God? Do I think He needs my help sorting it all out? Why must I know how things are gonna turn out ahead of time? What does God have to say about my lack of trust in Him?

I went to sleep with several concerns on my heart one night. I had a friend who was hurting and I asked God how could I be a source of encouragement to her. He showed me how oftentimes as she begins to share her troubles/trials with me, I begin to talk about my troubles. I asked myself what is my motive for doing that? The answer: I wanted her to see that her situation could be a lot worse.

Instead of being single with one child that needed support, she could be married with 5 children in the same predicament. Instead of having a home that’s paid for, she could be living month to month (wondering when the Sheriff would be putting the foreclosure notice on the front door for all the world to see). Instead of having a lack of finances, she could have no finances or have to depend on welfare. I thought to myself, is this how I respond to my circumstances?

Many more heartaches, trials and tribulations could be added to our plates on a daily basis, but God gives us only what we can bear.

This morning my bank account balance was $37.50. When I looked in the freezer there was one whole chicken, a pack of chicken legs, oh and a turkey from last Christmas (that will probably take 3 days to thaw properly and if I take it out now it can be dinner for Thursday). Thank God my 6 children will get hot dogs on Friday at a church fellowship. And since I don’t have the privilege of sending my children to their grandparents for a meal, I must trust the Lord to provide for the rest of the week. I could go on about my cupboards, but based on Matthew 6:25-26,  I know without a shadow of doubt that God will provide for my family just like he does the birds. 

God wants our full plate because He knows best how to handle it. Don’t pray and worry, it’s offensive to our God. Let’s take both hands off the plate and raise them in the air with thankful lips of praise, knowing that the outcome is working together for our good!

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Father your wisdom and foresight go well beyond my human comprehension. Help me not to be mislead by what my eyes can see. Help me to trust that you have all the means to provide exceedingly abundantly above all I can ever imagine. In Jesus’ name- Amen