Matthew 6:31-34, seek God’s kingdom
6:31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
(Matt 6:31-34 WEB)
6:32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
6:33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
6:34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.”
Food, drink and clothing are basic requirements for life, but the context here is being covetous, so Jesus was speaking about the anxiety that results from wanting what other people have. Those around us might seem to have apparently secure lifestyles and all they need. But the child of God should not imitate those without faith, by coveting such things when they are in the hands of others. Their daily requirements are in the hands of their heavenly father to provide, so they need not worry that others seem to have things that they have not. For them, the emphasis should be on seeking God’s Kingdom, rather than getting anxious about what others have. When the Kingdom comes, so will the sort of security of provision they desire (such was the implication of the Beatitudes).
Does this mean that one can just wait for God’s provision to turn up? The biblical perspective is that God provides the ability for us to then meet our own needs. The exception being for those who are too busy doing the tasks that God has called them to. Their needs are generally met, at God’s instruction, by the people whom they serve. Only once these normal channels fail, is there likely to be direct divine provision, and then usually mediated by an act of faith.
When famine struck the family of Jacob, God had already arranged provision for them elsewhere. Then, during Israel’s Exodus through the wilderness, God manipulated apparently natural agencies to provide food for his people, feeding them with manna and quail. He later did the same for Elijah, who was fed by ravens. Such stories can sometimes seem like pure invention, until you come across the accounts of similar provision that are found in many Christian biographies, e.g. those of George Muller and Yongi Cho. It can be hard to credit the gospel accounts of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand, but not if you are amongst those who have experienced such events first hand, e.g. in Mexico or Mozambique.
The key to unlocking divine resources is to focus on what the kingdom of God requires, yet every day people will fail to meet those demands and so they need Him to forgive this evil. However, just as during the Exodus, where God only concerns Himself with providing food for His people’s immediate needs. So it is sufficient to deal with today’s evil (i.e the issues you already know about), without worrying about what unanticipated evil tomorrow might reveal. God offers forgiveness of past and present evils to those who repent, but not for evil yet to be committed. Instead, He stands ready to dispense forgiveness daily to those who acknowledge their need.