Do Not Worry

In the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we encounter a teaching that cuts to the core of human experience: concern about our basic needs. In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus addresses our preoccupation with survival—what we eat, drink, and wear—and calls His followers to something radically different. This isn’t just a lesson on stress management. It is a bold invitation to reorient our lives around the reality of the Kingdom of God and to place our trust not in ourselves but in the faithful provision of our heavenly Father.

For this reason, I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Mt 6:25–34)

What do you concern yourself with?

Jesus begins this portion of His teaching by offering a direct command: “Do not worry about your life...” (Mt. 6:25). These words, while comforting on the surface, are also deeply challenging. In a world where scarcity, uncertainty, and the pursuit of stability dominate much of our thinking, Jesus calls His disciples to step into a new kind of security—one grounded not in accumulation or control, but in trust.

This trust is not blind. It is anchored in the very character of God. Jesus reminds us that “your heavenly Father knows what you need” (Mt. 6:32). This is the God who sees, who rewards, and who provides. The One who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field is not indifferent to the needs of His children. In fact, we are of infinitely greater value than all the rest of creation, for we alone are made in His image.

And yet, Jesus is not simply issuing a divine guarantee of material provision. He is confronting a deeper issue of the heart: the human tendency to seek security apart from God. Just prior to this teaching, Jesus warned that no one can serve two masters—God and wealth (Mt. 6:24). The temptation to chase after mammon (wealth, security in human resources) is rooted in a fear that, unless we secure our future ourselves, no one else will. But Jesus flips this narrative on its head.

The Gentiles, Jesus says—those who do not know God—eagerly chase after these things. Their lives are consumed by deep concern and preoccupation because they rely only on their own strength. But those who know the Father are invited to live differently. Jesus calls His disciples to trust, to reject anxious striving, and to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33). In doing so, all the other needs—food, drink, clothing—will be added to them as well.

The Greek word for “worry” here is merimnaō, which carries the sense of being divided or distracted by anxious care. It does not refer to responsible planning or preparation, but to a state of internal turmoil that undermines faith. Worry is not simply an emotional response; it is a heart issue. It reveals where we place our trust. It stands in direct opposition to pistis—faith, the practical trust in God's goodness and provision that is central to the gospel of Matthew.

This teaching connects deeply with the biblical story as a whole. In Genesis, humanity faced a choice: to trust God’s wisdom and care, or to define good and evil on their own terms. The fall in Genesis 3 was not just a failure of obedience but a failure of trust. Ever since, humans have tried to secure their lives apart from God. But Jesus invites us to return—to entrust ourselves to the Father’s care, to live under His rule, and to find life not in grasping but in receiving.

Seeking the Kingdom First

The answer to worry then is kingdom-seeking. The word Jesus uses—zēteite—means to seek continually, to be preoccupied with something as a guiding pursuit. Seeking God’s Kingdom first is not a one-time choice, but a daily orientation that shapes how we think, act, and live. It affects our priorities, our use of money, our relationships, and even our response to suffering and uncertainty.

This kingdom-first posture also aligns us with the broader vision of the early Church. In Acts 2, we see a community that shared everything in common, that gave generously, and that trusted in God’s provision through one another. The plural “unto you” in Matthew 6:33 hints at this communal aspect, where everyone seeks the kingdom of God, meaning everyone is always looking out for each other and thus, needs are being met. Seeking the Kingdom is not a solo pursuit. It is a shared life, marked by generosity, simplicity, and mutual care.

In a culture obsessed with individualism and accumulation, this is a radical call. We are invited to practice trust—not only through prayer and worship but through tangible habits like generosity and voluntary simplicity. Fasting, for example, becomes a spiritual discipline that trains our hearts to depend on God rather than our own abundance. It reminds us that daily bread is sufficient, and that grace is given for today, not for hypothetical futures we cannot control.

Jesus makes this even more personal in Matthew 10:19, where He tells His disciples not to worry about what to say when they face persecution. Even then, the Spirit will give them words. Whether it’s material provision or spiritual strength, God is faithful to meet us in our need. But worry keeps us from experiencing this reality. It drains our energy, clouds our judgment, and keeps us from walking in the freedom that Jesus offers.

To trust God’s provision is not to abandon responsibility—it is to abandon anxious preoccupation. It is to recognize that the safety and satisfaction we long for are not found in self-preservation but in God alone. And when we make the Kingdom our first concern, our focus, everything else begins to fall into place—not always as expected but always in the perfect way the Father knows to lead and provide for us. He is the one to give us security that will never fail.

Jesus’ invitation is simple, yet it demands everything, every single day: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” 

Will we believe that God is who He says He is—a good Father who knows our needs and provides in love? Or will we keep striving, storing up, and stressing out, trying to control what only God can?