Finding Comfort
In this time of economic struggle many people turn to Matthew 6 for strength. But the words in verse 26 strongly jump out at me for a few reasons. First there is the obvious, “the God of the universe really does care for you and will supply all of your needs,” but there are some implied lessons in this teaching as well.
Jesus was outside when He was giving this sermon (Matthew 5:1) so it would not be too preposterous to believe that there actually were birds nearby when He was talking. So when He says “look at the birds of the air,” He may have actually just pointed at the birds, which leads to the first presumption. When faced with anxious and stressful situations, simply go outside! God created the universe and put man in charge of taking care of it (Genesis 1:26), somewhere along the line however, we decided we did not have to enjoy creation and are perfectly content indoors. Multiple studies have shown being cooped up inside leads to depression. God worked for 6 days on this universe just so we could let it pass us by? I don’t think so. So please go actually look at the birds of the air and enjoy what God has built (after you finish this blog of course).
The second point is that God put practical Biblical examples all around us. In my early Christian days my answer for everything was “because the Bible says so.” While the Bible should be our ultimate authority, mindless Christians practice Christianity because to them it is a religious system, not a loving relationship with the Holy, Living God. The Gospel is replete with Jesus giving practical examples of how the Father interacts with His children in everyday life, and Matthew 6:26 is one of these examples. I am not saying we should get mystical about this (i.e. the wind is blowing north today so I must eat at Five Guys because it is also to the north), but I am saying when you go outside look for practical examples of God’s majesty and love for us. By the way this is a great way to take that Scripture you are meditating on (Psalm 1:2) and apply it!
So now, please get up from where ever you are, or put your phone on sleep mode and look around you. Times might be tough but God is good all the time and He wants to show you that!