A pair of cardinals built a nest in the bush just outside my front window, a nest which a cat discovered. I kept trying to shoo the cat away but to no avail. The cardinals left to find another place (hopefully more protected) for their nest. They simply took the next appropriate action.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words concerning the “birds of the air”: “They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Jesus tells us that our “heavenly Father,” who cares for the cardinals, knows what we need and provides. I need these words of Jesus and the simple action of the cardinals taking the next steps given to them.
There is so much we can be anxious about, personally, socially, and globally. Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives. In the passage, from which I quoted above (Matthew 6:25-34), he tells us what to do instead of being anxious about our lives: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Here is my (rather free) translation: “Above all else, seek God’s reign and will, and God will provide what you need to live out the life God has given you.”
The implication of these words is that we do not even have to ask God for these things that we are anxious about, for God is taking care of us. Of course, we are encouraged to go to God (rather than elsewhere) for our provisions: “Give us this day our daily bread.” And we can “cast all our anxieties on God, because God cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7). In doing so, we are set free to give our foremost attention to God’s reign and will. Our prayer, therefore, first and foremost, is “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” And, because this is our foremost prayer, and is at the heart of our being and doing, we also pray, “Deliver us from evil,” that is, deliver us from whatever would keep us from letting God be the center of our lives and would keep us from living out God’s purposes for us.
These words are very freeing—no matter what we are facing. These words keep it simple, no matter what we are going through. Paul clearly understood this when he wrote of doing one thing: “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” No matter what turns our life’s journey takes, it is always about one thing: God’s reign and purposes. God has a way for us to walk in that is life-giving no matter our circumstances. God is present in all things—in darkness and light—to make God’s purposes known and realized.
God knows what we need for this journey! And God provides! We can turn our focus on what God is doing in our lives and where God is leading, no matter our situations. We can attend to what is needed in the here and now. This is why Jesus also says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” In other words, take it one day at a time. Live in the present where God meets us and where the leading of the Spirit takes place. Doing so moves our attention to where it needs to be: on the love and mercy and will of God.