Hello
Everyone! Welcome to another challenge
here at Mustard Seed Faith Challenges!
We’re so glad you’re here! A huge
shout out to those of you who joined us in our last challenge or stopped by the
blog to read our encouraging devotional!
We just love seeing your creations!
It’s Tracey here with today’s devotional! Jeanne has done such a wonderful job of
writing the devotionals up until now, and the rest of us thought perhaps we
should give her a bit of a rest and share what was on our hearts with you once
in a while!
Today
I want to share with you about something that I know many of us Christians
struggle with but sometimes tend to write off as being ok and not really going
against how God has asked us to live our lives (and I can speak from experience
because this is one area in my life I have to constantly keep giving over to
God)…that is the habit of worrying! Do
you spend time worrying, trying to control situations so that the outcome is as
you’d like to see it? Do you worry about
what is to come? In this world that
seems to be more corrupt and sinful than ever before with missing children,
terrorist attacks, Christian persecution, ungodly government laws, etc. do you
ever find yourself questioning where God is?
My question for you today is this…”Who Holds Your Tomorrow?” (…or even
your today?)
The
song “Sparrows” by Jason Gray talks about worry and spoke to me from the first
time I listened to it! (I’ve included the video link for you to listen, as well
as the lyrics at the end of this devotional.)
This
song echoes exactly what the Bible says about worry in Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be
anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about
your body, what you will put on. Is not
life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the
air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they? And which of you by
being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. But
if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is alive and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith? 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.”
God
calls us to live in the moment, one day at a time! He calls us to trust Him and to look to Him
in all situations. Worrying doesn’t add
to our lives, it actually takes away.
Worrying causes stress, illness and also allows us to slowly wander away
from our Heavenly Father. When you look
at nature, the birds don’t worry about where their food is coming from and the
flowers of the field just bloom. I know
that often times when I am in a stressful situation, I worry and start looking
for advice from family and friends and make seeking God second place. While friends and family always want what’s
good for us, take a moment to think about how much more good God wants for
us! The Bible says that He looks after
the birds and the fields, and that we are so much more important to Him! It’s hard to even comprehend that if God is
concerned with the birds, flowers, etc. what His concern and love must be for
us! When worry strikes, the answer on
what to do with it is prescribed right in the Bible passage above….verse 33
spells it out very simply for us…we are to seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness! Plain and
simple….leave it at Jesus’ feet! Many
years ago I was in a ladies Bible study, (and I wish I could remember what the
book was called so I could share it with you but I just can’t recall), and I
always remember the lesson that I really learned from that study and I want to
share it with you. Worrying is not
characteristic that God wants us to have or let take hold of our lives. The study taught me that those thoughts of
worry do not come from God, and the simple suggestion of just acknowledging
where those thoughts really come from (the enemy) and at that moment praying
and asking God to remove those thoughts from one’s mind as they are not from Him
has been powerful for me! It’s a quick
and simple prayer and a terrific reminder of Who is holding our tomorrow…and
our current situations. As Christians we
know that God is in control in all circumstances! From world turmoil, to fake news being reported
(and encouraging us to worry), to government rulings that seem to scoff at the
Christian faith, to starting a new job, taking a test, raising our children,
illness, marriage problems…God has promised that He is with us through it
all! We need to remind ourselves that
God’s got this! Of course, this is not a
guarantee that things will always be easy or turn out the way we hope! But what could be more comforting than
knowing…
“If He can hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow”
-quoted from “Sparrows” by Jason Gray
Be
encouraged my friend, whatever you are going through God is walking along side
you, just waiting for you to give Him the go ahead to become involved and to
take control…to remove fear and worry from you and to show you how to live one
day at a time with joy. Being anxious
about tomorrow does nothing but take away precious moments from today. Worry makes us feel helpless and alone…and we
have a Saviour who is always by our side.
Seek Him, spend time in the Word and in prayer and you will find that
worry no longer has a place in your heart…there is no room as it is God filled!
So,
for this next challenge we are asking you to create projects that have birds,
butterflies or even nature scenes! As
you create, take time to reflect on the fact that God looks after all of these
things, and then remember how much more He loves you and wants to take care of you! Let Him hold your tomorrow…and today as well!
You can't
add a single day by worrying
You'll worry your life away
Oh don't worry your life away
You can't change a single thing by freaking out
It's just gonna close you in
Oh don't let the trouble win
You may
feel alone
But you're not on your own
If He can
hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Lean in and
it's hard to miss
Everything can change
When you make it His
Oh He wants to carry it
Carefree in the care of God
When you let it go
You'll find that He's enough
Oh you never leave His love
You don't
walk alone
If He can
hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
There's not
a single star that's out of place
There's nothing broken He can't remake
If you long for hope when you're afraid
Oh look at the sparrow
Look at the sparrow
If He can
hold the world He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow
Even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow
Songwriters:
Mia Fieldes / Jason Gray / Jonathan Lindley Smith
Sparrows
lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Now it is time for you to share your creations with our team! We love to see them!
