Mathew 6:33 is an often quoted passage of Scripture, but do you ever truly consider what it means?
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Honestly, until recently I’d only ever thought of that Scripture within the context of money and material possessions, but now I see it more like this:
Look for what God is doing right now (first).
Where is God working righteousness in you right now?
Press into those things, and you’ll find you’re fully equipped and cared for, no matter what comes your way tomorrow.
I see it as a beautiful call into this present moment.
Grace for Today
It seems like every time we turn around, Scripture is telling us to focus on today. God gives us everything we personally need for this day. We have grace and mercy and sustenance for this day.
One of the clearest examples of this in the Bible is manna. In case you’re not familiar with the events that followed the exodus, after the Israelites were set free from Egypt, they wandered around in the wilderness for decades. They needed food, and God gave them manna. Numbers 11:7–9 tells us that manna fell every evening when the dew fell on the ground. It could be baked, boiled, and fried—almost like some sort of supernatural Bisquick!
In addition, the Israelites were given specific instructions from God about the manna:
- Manna would be waiting for them every single morning.
- They were to collect only what they needed for their family for that day.
- Any manna they had left over would not last until the following day.
- They were to trust that each new morning God would provide again what they would need for that day.
- On the day before their day of rest (Sabbath), God provided a double portion so they wouldn’t have to gather manna on the Sabbath.
- Any manna that was squandered or gathered unnecessarily would rot and get worms in it.
Did you catch that? Any time they attempted to gather for a day in the future, it would rot and get worms in it. This was a tangible example of what happens when we don’t trust God’s faithfulness.
Worms.
When we frantically and unnecessarily gather for the future, it reveals our lack of trust in God’s faithfulness. And that’s serious business.
Hope for Tomorrow
Manna isn’t the only place where this concept of God’s daily strength and renewal comes up. Let’s visit Lamentations 3:16–24. We’re mostly familiar with the “Great is your faithfulness” part, but look at all of the desperate pain and hopelessness coming out of the author’s mouth before that.
He ground my teeth with gravel
and made me cower in the dust.
I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Then I thought, “My future is lost,
as well as my hope from the LORD.”Remember my affliction and my homelessness,
the wormwood and the poison.
I continually remember them
and have become depressed.
Yet this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:Because of the LORD’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”
Do you see the turning point in this passage? To help, I put it in boldface. The psalmist made a choice to call to his mind the truth about God, producing hope.
Sweet sister in Christ, the truth is,we have enough grace and mercy and sustenance for this day. For this moment. When we’re walking in anxiety about what could happen, it’s as if we’re frantically gathering for the days ahead. We think we’re storing up safety, but we’re really just storing up worms.
Lord God, thank You for not condemning us for our human ways of thinking.
And forgive us for not trusting in Your faithfulness to meet us—no matter what the future brings.
Make an alarm go off in our minds when we start to gather for tomorrow
instead of pressing into what You’re doing today.
In Your Holy Name, Amen.
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