Words from the Rock
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
Matthew 6:26 NLT
To further make his previous point about not worrying, Jesus tells us to look at the birds. He uses their carefree lives as an example of how we should live. Have you watched birds or listened to them? It seems like they have a pretty good time. They sing happily when they know the sun is coming up. They fly and dart around—sometimes it seems just for the fun of it. Seriously, birds don’t have it too bad.
Something else I’ve noticed about birds is that they are always eating, or snacking, or whatever birds call it. And I’d think they’d run out of food—especially in the heart of winter. Yet they get by just fine. And even on the frostiest day, they still sing as the sun comes up. Even with snow on the ground and food scarce, they still sing and flit and fly like life is good. Why is that?
Because, like Jesus said, they’re not worrying about where their next meal is coming from. Somehow God has wired their little birdbrains with the kind of faith that tells them that they’ll be okay—there will be food because God will provide. And so they just go about their business—and they have fun while they’re doing it. We could learn a lot from the birds.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Okay, sometimes I might feel like a birdbrain, but I admit I don’t have a bird’s kind of faith. Please help me to trust you more. Help me not to worry about my daily needs. Instead, let me focus on you and all the ways you continue to provide for me. Thank you!
Amen.
Final Word
When that time comes, you won’t have to ask me about anything. I tell you for certain that the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.
John 16:23 CEV
Stone for the Journey
I will set aside anxiety, replacing it with trust and faith.