Matthew 6:24-25 (NIVUK)
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
I have seen a variety of different translations and meaning put forward for verse 27. The text for the NIVUK asks if worrying can add even a single hour to life. The footnote to this suggests that alternatively it could be adding a single cubit to your height. The NIV study Bible adds a third slant, can you add a single step (cubit) to life’s journey. The point across these is the same, worrying about the things we cannot control doesn’t change or achieve anything. This is not to say that all worry is wrong; stress and anxiety have their place, they can motivate us and help us plan ahead. The causes of worry are real, life has its struggles, Jesus, however, encourages us not to let it overwhelm us, but instead to place our faith in God who made us and provides for us.
Thank you Father that you love me more than the birds! Help me learn to depend on you on life’s journey, rather than to depend on my own limited resources.
Photo by Steve Harvey on Unsplash
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