In June of 2019 we vacationed in Toronto for a few days. It was a great little action-packed vacation consisting of Niagara Falls, shopping, fabulous food in Chinatown, the aquarium, a Blue Jays game, and a visit to the CN Tower. Let’s talk about that tower for a moment, shall we?
The top of the tower offers a 360 degree view of the city. It also offers a few meters of flooring made of glass which allows you to see alllll the way down to the street! Now. The sign there said the glass could hold the weight of 9 polar bears. And logically, I know that I do not weigh 9 polar bears! However- it took quite a lot of coaxing from my then 11 year old daughter for me to step out onto the glass. And even when I did, I was grimacing, nervous, and reaching for my husband’s hand. My daughter? She was on her hands and knees taking pictures.
I have that same mental battle when I read Matthew 6:27-34. Jesus, knowing that his followers would struggle with anxiety, said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 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 arrayed like one of these.”
Logically, I know that. I know that He cares for every creature. I see how beautifully he adornes even the plants. And I know that I am of way more value than they are! Yet, I struggle to accept the truth proclaimed by Jesus himself- that God will really take care of me. My faith, I’m afraid, often looks like my fearful glass stepping. Gingerly- rather than confidently- I place my trust in Him.
And yet, for all of my doubt, the truth remains: Our God is unchanging. Malachi 3:6 records these words from God the Father, “I the Lord do not change.” This means He is forever all of who His Word says He is- good, faithful, and completely sovereign. Furthermore, Jesus, who is the exact imprint of the nature of the Father, is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 13:8). If he, as the unchanging Son of God, tells us that we will be taken care of by the unchanging Father, then we have no reason to doubt that He will do even more for us than He does the flowers and birds.
Additionally, we know that God not only meets our physical needs, but in Christ He has met our deepest spiritual need. This, more than anything, should be the greatest source of comfort to our souls. As Paul said in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Truly, Our Heavenly Father has promised to meet all of our needs according to the glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
And so, when I catch myself trusting with a grimace or walking gingerly, I will go back again and again to the words our Savior spoke in Matthew. I will choose to trust in the One who knows the numbers of hairs on my head, the One who does not allow a sparrow to fall a part from His will; the One who tells me not to fear, and assures me that I am of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). I will pray for grace to trust, and will walk confidently on the unbreakable foundation of Christ. With certainty I will say, If the lilies and sparrows don’t worry, than neither will I.
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