So Christmas is here! The weather would like to prove us wrong, but the endless lines in the stores show otherwise. I tried to return an item to Wal-Mart this morning (figuring that everyone returns things AFTER Christmas) and I had to wait in an incredibly long line. There were only two customer service reps taking returns and one of them was dealing with a lady that looked like she did all of her Christmas shopping and then walked right over to the returns desk to take it all back. As my frustration was building, I was reminded of a verse.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” –Matthew 6:34 NLT.
Sounds like a pretty daunting verse. If anything, this verse vindicated my situation. “See here, these are my troubles for the day! Jesus told me I was going to have these troubles everyday!” What this verse, and the verses before it, are saying, is that God provides for our troubles each day. His mercies are enough for today. I have to come back for his mercies tomorrow for tomorrow’s troubles.
Let me illustrate it this way. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God provided manna each morning for their daily needs. He didn’t provide extra, just what they needed for that day. The Israelites relied on faith that God would provide tomorrow the manna for tomorrow’s needs. Here is the catch though; we have to come to him daily for that provision. The manna didn’t appear in their homes, the Israelites had to go and receive it daily. The manna was provided in the morning, before they needed it; not in the evening, after they were hungry and empty.
Each morning we have to go to God and receive his mercies, his strength, his wisdom to face today’s troubles. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that any trouble we face, there will be an escape provided. Do we look for that escape? Does that escape require my strength, or God’s strength? Whose strength am I trying to use? We have to equip ourselves daily to be able to face those troubles; we have to receive our daily “manna.” Don’t worry about tomorrow, God will provide then.
God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him.
“The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.” -Lamentations 3:22-23
Posted on
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
by Andrew McDaniel