Be Present in Grace
“And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”
Matthew 6:28-29
When you wake up in the morning, do you know exactly how your day will go? You may have a set routine of prayer, shower and breakfast. Afterward, you might head to work, take your children to school or shop and run errands. For some, it may be exercising or leisurely reading the newspaper. For most of us, our typical daily routines are mapped out.
When something unexpectantly happens, it throws all your planning out the window. Does that cause you to worry about how to fit it all into your daily plans? Or do you accept that this change of plan may be a gift?
The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount encourage His followers not to worry about their worldly needs. It is believed that lilies represent rebirth and hope, just as the resurrection does in the Christian faith. Jesus wants you to consider the lilies because He wants you to be assured of His love and provision for you.
Jesus did not neglect to acknowledge the difficulty of life. He promised, “In this world, you will have trouble.” He knows our tendency to panic and worry about things to which only God has the answers.
"Consider the lilies of the field …" is a phrase with which most of us are very familiar however, it takes effort to realize that Jesus is not just speaking poetically; He means what He says! As it says in Matthew 6:25, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life."
