Friday 21 February 2025
"And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?" (v. 27)
Background
Verse 26 weaves for us a poetic allusion. In the prosaic reality of everyday life birds do suffer ill fortune and die prematurely. But from the viewpoint of joyful Jesus, compared to humans, he observes birds as carefree and contented, not accumulating more than they need and enjoying the life they are living. The poetic image lifts our hearts.
The habit of worrying, sometimes excessively, about the future is a very human preoccupation and can be debilitating. It can keep us stuck in unrewarding jobs and difficult relationships; it can make us afraid to take risks in our organisations; and it can keep us bogged down in worrying about the business of everyday life.
We can worry about money, health and relationships, and often we can worry in unproductive ways that change nothing. The worry and fear just keep us stuck and focused on ourselves, and not God.
Alluding to the birds of creation, Jesus reminds us that we, too, are part of God’s creation. We are only here at all because of God’s desire and will and God holds us in being until we return to God in the fullness of time. This is the true perspective.
What, therefore, is the point of excessive worry? Yes, of course, we must be responsible and intelligently plan for the future. But Jesus teaches us to trust deeply that God (the Creator of the universe) has our back and will provide for us (maybe not on our own terms) until we return to God.
Being freed from excessive worry, sets us free to respond to God’s Spirit in this day, trusting that our tomorrow will be taken care of. As we respond more fully to the gift of ‘this day', we find ourselves enjoying the goodness of what we already have.
Psalm 80 remembers God’s saving power in the history of the people of Israel and looks to God coming again to save them. It's a psalm of trust that God will bring restoration.
To Ponder:
- If the mindset of ‘worry’ is a habit, how have you learnt to interrupt this and trust God?
- What do you think Jesus would have said to those who did not take enough care for the future?
- At the simplest level what do you need to flourish? What do you think drives your worry about these concerns?
Prayer
Creator God, thank you for your generous providential care of each one of us and the whole of creation. As we trust you, set us free, to help you generously care for us and the whole creation of which we are a part. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Jenny Ellis
Jenny is a supernumerary Methodist minister. She facilitates a mindfulness community based at her local surgery and also online. She also leads quiet days and contemplative study days. This year's series of online contemplative days entitled Beginnings will be based on the first three chapters of Genesis.