He Cares for You, Part 5

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

Matthew 6:31-32

What is the comparative nature of today’s verses? People who know God versus people who

don’t (Gentiles) and how we can be quite the same in how we relate to life. We have access to

the Father, who has made Himself our Father through faith in His Son, and yet we may be living

just the same as everyone else out there, just as freaked out and consumed with the things of

life.

It’s all too common for Christians to turn to self-help guides in place of trusting God, because we

may not be tapping into that relationship. I’ve done it. Learning the Bible and having a head full

of knowledge that doesn’t translate into heart and life change, how is that really of any use?

Now, I know God can use it, but if we don’t let it connect to our hearts, how is it practically

helpful for us to deal with things like stress? Inevitably, we start to handle our situations like

everyone else, and the problem is not so much that techniques and so forth aren’t beneficial,

but often they do not lead us back to Him.

Satan doesn’t necessarily care if you are getting help so long as that help does not tie you back

to the God who loves you. He doesn’t care if you have a good life so long as it’s a life that isn’t

founded upon a joy in the Savior. We do have common problems, like everyone else. Getting

saved doesn’t mean that we won’t deal with what we’ll eat, drink, or wear. It does mean that we

don’t have to do it alone but within a relationship as children to God the Father.

Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Maybe, if you’re like me, you

wonder at times if He really does know that we need these things. We can feel like we’re

hanging and He’s not coming to our aid. We can feel overwhelmed and wonder about the felt

silence or the absence of responses to our prayer requests that seem to have never connected.

God knows you need these things. What, though, are you and I not giving attention to that we

need to address? Well, that’s in tomorrow’s verse.

Are you handling life the same as others who don’t know Him? Do you really know Him?

There’s such a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Those who only

know about Him will inevitably handle their problems much the same as those who don’t know

God. So much of this passage is written, or spoken by Jesus rather, with an emphasis on a

relationship with God and living within His love and trusting His provision. Let’s go back to Him

today, not just for what we want from Him, but for Him. If we’re not careful, relating to God will

simply be reading lists off of what we want fixed, not communicating with a Friend and Father.

Be blessed.

Sam Stringer