If you have one of those bibles where the words of Jesus are in red, then early on in the book of Matthew, you’ll notice that all of a sudden the text goes completely red for several pages. It’s part of the teaching of Jesus that is often called ‘the sermon on the mount’ – a time when Jesus has gathered his friends around him and he’s sharing with them rich wisdom on how to live well.

The sermon on the mount is just dripping with beauty and wisdom and practical guidance that helps us live well. Jesus has gathered his friends and they are about to have an adventure as they embark on a crazy journey for the next 3 years or so together and it’s like Jesus is saying – right, how can I get you ready? What do you need to know before this journey gets really wild?!

Almost right in the middle of that ‘sermon on the mount’ we find a beautiful passage that starts off at Matthew 6:25 – In my bible, it’s titled ‘Do not worry’. 

…Think about the birds – they don’t worry about growing food – but God feeds them.  Think about the wild flowers – they don’t spend time and money buying wardrobes full of clothes – but look at how beautifully clothed they are by God…

It’s a great passage – and one that has always been a favourite of mine. When I was a teenager I wrote the phrase “remember the lilies” all over my school pencil case.  I partly felt like I was being cool and kind of using code to have bible verses all over my pencil-case without anyone realising what it meant – but it was also a reminder for me each day that my Father God cares about – He’s got me. 

But I wonder whether, at times, I have viewed this passage as wisdom that there is a time and a place for – a little bit like the Bob Marley song that shares the same title!For me the song is definitely a summer song – a real summer car anthem for when you are driving in the sunshine with the windows down – but when it’s cold, wet and blowing a gale, I am not driving along with don’t worry blasting out! In a similar way, when life is easy and the sun is shining, it’s easy to read this passage – It’s easy to say – Don’t worry, God has got it all – when everything is working well. But when difficulties come along and life feels more stormy, it can be a challenging passage to read. 

But the thing is, unlike the song, I don’t think that this passage is just for sunshiny days – I think it’s exactly for times that may feel a little more stormy. It’s not a flippant ‘hakuna matata’ – forget about it, no worries – or even a ‘que sera sera’ – whatever will be will be – it’s wisdom based on truth that is firm enough to hold up in the stormiest of times in our lives. 

The amazing thing is that, while there is a real confidence in what Jesus is saying– do not worry – you don’t need to worry – there is also grace in that message. God knows that this is something lots of us struggle with – if you worry – you are most definitely not alone.

Romans 8:1 tells us that there is no condemnation with Jesus – no shame. 

So let’s not worry about worrying!

God knows how we operate! He knows how our minds work! He knows we struggle with worry – so His response isn’t a flippant – ‘I’ve told you, you don’t need to worry – deal with it’. Instead – He just keeps gently and patiently reminding us. In fact, someone has worked out that we are told ‘do not fear’ or ‘do not worry’ 366 times in the bible – that’s one for every day of the year, including leap years.  God knows this is something lots of us struggle with – but He also knows that His Strength and Grace is up to the task – His peace can quieten the strongest of fears and in His grace – he continually reminds us of that – ‘Don’t worry, I’m still with you, I’ve still got you’.

However – the bible reminds us not to worry or fear 366 times because it’s an important message for us to hear and understand and because it’s true. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that the reason He came to earth was so that we could have life in all of it’s fulness – fulness of life – and I don’t think that that involves worry!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

So, what advice does Jesus give us? Because, Jesus doesn’t leave us with throw away inspirational quotes that sound good initially but that have little depth – if He tells us to do something, you can guarantee He is going to walk with us as we do it.

I think the answer is in v33 when He gives us an alternative to worry – and it starts with the word ‘but’ – that’s a pivot point in the passage.

Verses 25-32 are an encouragement not to worry and a reminder of why as it talks about the birds and the wildflowers – if God cares about all of these, how much more will He care about you! 

And then we have the pivot point in v33 – but – seek first his kingdom and his righteousness – and all these things will be added to you. Don’t worry – your father is looking after you – but, instead – Seek first Jesus. 

What are we seeking first? What are we orienting our lives around?

Interestingly – immediately before and immediately after this passage Jesus talks about 2 other possibilities of things we might orient our lives around. 

Right before the passage, in verse 19 – 24, we’ve got a great passage when Jesus is encouraging us to think about what we are treasuring. The message translation says ‘the place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be’.

And then right after the ‘Do not worry’ passage, Jesus goes on to talking about a life oriented around comparing ourselves with others – when we find the well known passage that talks about not judging others and taking the tree out of your own eye before you take the splinter out of someone else’s. At the heart of judging others it’s often about working out how we measure up against others – how do we rank.

When you look at those 2 things, we’re basically talking about ‘Stuff and status’ – 2 of the biggest causes of worry in our lives – a life oriented around the stuff that we own or the stuff that we wished we owned – and a life oriented around the status that we have – how we measure up with others.

We can worry about whether we have enough and we can seek after stuff – and we can worry about whether we are good enough – judging ourselves and others as we decide where we rank with each other. But right in the middle of all of that Jesus is reminding us – there is another way. Don’t orient your life around stuff and status– that is going to lead to worry – that is going to rob you of the fulness of life I am offering you. Orient your life around me – seek me first. Let go of stuff, let go of status – let it go!

When I talk about emotions with children, one of the activities I get them to do is to think about where they feel that emotion in their body. One of the places I notice worry is in my hands – when I am worried about something – I often notice that I am clenching my fists. It’s an interesting reflection because I think that when I am worried – it’s often because I am holding on to something.

The Jesus way is to let it go – to seek Jesus first and to trust that He can hold everything else.

I love the way the message translation talks about this when it says:

‘What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving’

Hands held open – ready to receive the outpouring of God’s grace and love.

‘What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving’

What does worry look like for you right now?

What do your hands look like? Are they clenched tight – holding on to something?

Can you hear God reminding you every day – don’t worry – you don’t need to worry – I am big enough to hold this.

Spend some time asking God to draw your attention to anything you are holding on to.

You might like to use the words of the Prayer of Relinquishment – You can find it here.

Start by clenching your fists as a physical sign that you are aware that there is something you have been holding on to and worrying about.

As you read the words of the prayer, when you are ready, open your hands as a physical sign of letting go and trusting that God is able to hold you and whatever it is you are worrying about.