They
say there are 365 times God encourages us to "fear not," "worry
not" or "be anxious for nothing" in the bible--one for each day
of the year.
In Mathew 6: 25-33(MSG) we read,
"Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes
in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you
put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on
your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job
description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than
birds.
“Has anyone by fussing in front of
the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money
wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of
looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers.
They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?
The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
“If God gives such attention to the
appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think
he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to
do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and
the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he
works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t
worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be
met.
“Give your entire attention to what
God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen
tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the
time comes."
