It is interesting how much time some people spend worrying about things they can do nothing about. There are so many details in our lives that are simply beyond our control.
We did not get to choose the time or the place of our birth; we did not choose the family we were born into; we did not choose our physical makeup; our eye or hair color; our innate intelligence; our height or our weight (OK, we do have some control over that one).
At the same time, there are a number of external forces in the world we have absolutely no control over. We cannot determine the weather; how the economy might turn out; or the behavior of the people in our lives. We have all known the truth of this last statement from personal experience.
The point is, there is a great deal about our life we cannot control, change, or do anything about - so why do we worry about it? Scripture tells us not to.
Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. (Matthew 6:34)
It is also true that we cannot guarantee we will maintain our health, or even how or when we will be called home to meet the Lord. These matters are beyond our control, so why worry about them?
Who of you, by being worried, can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:27)
These Scripture verses could sound a bit discouraging if we fail to read them in the context in which they were offered. Without deeper insight, we might fall victim to fatalism, which is the idea that everything in our life is predetermined, and consequently, there is no reason to attempt to do anything about our situation. But instead, we should seek to find Scriptures deeper meaning in these verses.
Now though we cannot add days to our lives, we can add life to each of our days. Jesus is not saying, nor would it be very comforting to hear, “Hey, don’t worry, just endure your trials until they are over.”
No, rather than worry or merely accept and endure our trials, Jesus is telling us to seek meaning through them. After all, isn’t it true that so much of what we spend our time worrying about are the things that affect only our worldly circumstances? The issues of day-to-day life are not worth worrying about. Here is what Jesus said on the matter:
I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 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. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:26-33)
We cannot just pass over this reading because we have heard it before. We are all familiar with these Bible verses, but if we apply them only to our earthly life, we will be missing Jesus’ larger message. We must remember Jesus told us to:
Seek first the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33)
And He also told us where to seek His Kingdom.
For behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)
There is no place to seek the Kingdom of God in this life other than within ourselves. Many people struggle with this idea, but it is not complicated. If we want to experience the Kingdom of God, even in this world, we must enter into ourselves through silent prayer, and when we do so, we must be at peace. We have to stop focusing on all the worrisome shadows in life that present themselves as reality.
God cannot speak to a disturbed heart. Think of the vision of a clear running stream, how easy it is to see the colorful rocks, the suns’ rays glinting off the water or even a fish or two. Now consider the same stream after the mud on the bottom has been stirred up by agitation. The vision becomes cloudy, we can no longer make out the objects below the surface, and the Sun’s (or Son’s) rays are obscured by the agitated muck at the bottom of our clear stream (our heart).
Agitation over the things we cannot control in life creates this murkiness that obscures the vision of God’s Kingdom within us as we pray. When we worry, or when we dwell on the things we may have suffered in this life, we risk losing the peace we need to open our hearts and minds to God. God can speak to a wounded heart, but He cannot make Himself clear to a worried heart. There is so much in our life we cannot control, but we are in complete control of our prayer life. We can pray anytime, anywhere, in any set of circumstances.
With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:18)
And while we are praying, we need first pray for peace to pray well.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6)
Please pray that we might all succeed at putting more life into our years.
Copyright © 2025, Deacon Mark Danis
Image credit:"Field of Lilies," Tiffany Studios (Smith Museum, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons