Jesus addressed the fear of tomorrow in the Sermon on the Mount:
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34)
When they read “Do not be anxious” some people form the misconception that the Lord is banning all forms of concern. They start feeling guilty because they are concerned about a health problem or their children’s behavior in school. But Jesus is not against concern over real problems. He showed that kind of care all the time.
This is a concern over imaginary things in the future. It is a fear of tomorrow. It’s just as wrong to fear tomorrow as it is to count on it as a guarantee. The reason why is that fearing tomorrow wastes precious mental energy on things that will probably never happen.
Visitors to Chelsea, London can visit the soundproof study built by the famous Scottish writer, Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). Carlyle needed complete silence to work. One of his neighbors had a rooster that crowed several times during the night. Carlyle complained to the owner who replied that his rooster seldom crowed more than twice in a night. “That’s just it,” Carlyle responded, “I cannot tell you how I suffer waiting for him to crow!”
Where does this obsession with tomorrow come from? You may be surprised to learn its source. The Bible says it comes from pride.
Listen to Isaiah:
I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth, and you fear continually all the day…? (Isaiah 51:12-13)
Who do you think you are, worrying like that? Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But that’s what God says. He’s telling us that pride is the root of our anxiety.
You see the same truth being taught in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” To cast your anxieties on God you must humble yourself. You must stop thinking you know what the future holds and trust God to take care of tomorrow.
Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. Can you humble yourself enough to believe that?
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