Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'”

The provision of God is amazing. The love of God is astounding. The patience of God is awesome. Patience? Yes, patience. We all know God is patient, but here we see just how patient He continues to be. Despite our worrisome personalities He continues to remind us to aim and to try and attain what is right.

Back in high school, I tried to play sports. I say that I tried because comparatively I was not very good at them. I was decent at running track and field events and I could have become much better at it if I had stayed for more than one track season. In that season my coach forced me to run. My coach forced me to practice. My coach also instructed me in the basics such as starting from the block and how to maintain form throughout the race. A good start at the beginning is only part of the race and is an important part of it, but it is not the only important thing. Maintaining proper form for the duration of the race is also a key part of running. Someone who practices their starts and maintaining form despite all that may occur in a race is much more likely to win than someone who can run faster but is unable to keep form. Reliance, total reliance on God is one of the aspects of maintaining our form for the race of life.

To trust God is difficult, much like pacing myself during a race, despite the pounding sound of the guy right behind me or the guy edging past me in the next lane. I want to push my arms hards, push my legs, bend forward and try that much harder. When I do that, I feel that I am doing more and working and running faster, but did you know that it only slows me down? If I maintain an upright upper body and keep my cadence, my stride is lengthened to the most efficient yet also the longest that I am safely capable of utilizing. My arms, staying tightly controlled instead of becoming more erratic just reinforce the motion of my legs, increasing my speed instead of taking strength from my legs and I actually run as fast as I am capable at the moment although I do not feel like I am going anywhere.

In the game of soccer and rugby as well, it is the basics that count, just like chess or badminton or even poker (gasp and shock)! When we participate in the game of life, the basics become the most important things to understand and learn. Here we are told one of the basics of a life in Christ – trust and reliance. I know that this entire passage has been about provision and God taking care of us, but it is one aspect of our lives that we all struggle with. We all are constantly trying to take care of ourselves and worrying about what is going on in our lives.

God reminds us and even commands us to not worry. Public speaking teachers say that repetition reinforces important points. How frequently does this topic come up in Christ's teachings? How about how frequently in the Bible? Is it safe to say that this is important? If so, can we, dare we trust God to be faithful? I say yes! What then can we turn over to Him this week?

Blow, wind of God! With wisdom blow
until our minds are free
from mists of error, clouds of doubt,
which blind our eyes to thee.
Burn, winged fire! Inspire our lips
with flaming love and zeal,
to preach to all thy great good news,
God's glorious commonweal.