There have been multiple times in my life when I felt there was no way to go about doing anything without worrying. During one of those times, I was freshly married to my wife. I was working full-time, just out of college, making about $18,000 a year. My new wife was in graduate school with no job, fully focused on graduating quickly to be able to help with finances. We were living month to month - and that is stating it generously. We would count out change each month to make sure we could afford groceries. I hunted deer during the winter, purely for meat. We couldn’t afford the processing fee to have a plant process the deer, so we bought a cheap meat grinder from Amazon so we could process it ourselves and save money. No food went to waste. At Christmastime that year, I remember having to sit down with my newlywed wife to explain with heartache that we could not afford a Christmas tree that year. I felt like a failure and was eaten up with worry day in and day out, trying not to fail or fall even further behind than we already were.

To add to all of that, one winter morning, I woke up to water running through our bedroom. Come to find out, our hot water heater had gone bad during the night. I called my buddy who was a plumber. He explained that I was looking at about a $400 bill for just the water heater and with him installing it for free. I remember getting off the phone with him and crying. I had no clue where I was going to come up with $400. It might as well have been a million dollars because it was so far out of reach from where we were financially. I walked out to the back steps of our old single-wide feeling fully defeated. At that point, the words from verse 25 couldn’t have been further from my mind. “Do not be anxious about life, what you will eat or what you will drink...” Had someone come to me with these verses, telling me not to worry and that anxiety wouldn’t add an hour to my life, I would have punched them in the throat.

Thankfully God didn’t allow that at that moment. But what He did allow was a neighbor who called me. I tried to pull myself together quickly to answer the call. She simply said, “Hey Zach! I’ve been trying to get up with you for a few months now. I was passing by and saw your truck was home. Would you mind if I brought your wedding gift over?” Of course, I said yes, it almost felt like a good distraction so that I didn’t have to call my wife and tell her we would have to take cold showers for the foreseeable future. She came and visited for a moment and left me with a card. After she left, I opened it and saw a check for $400. The exact amount my plumber friend had just quoted me to replace our hot water heater!

In the midst of the pain and struggle, it is so easy to forget God’s promise. Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us that He’s gone before us, and nothing we encounter is a surprise to Him. The things we worry most about, He has already taken care of for us. Maybe not on the timeline we would like, but in God’s perfect timing. Since that season of our life, we have been through some very rough times - times when a $400 plumbing bill seemed almost laughable. But in that moment of opening that card to reveal that check, I was reminded of God’s promise. It is a time I go back to in every hardship as a reminder that verse 30 says, “God so clothes the grass of the field... will He not much more clothe you.” He’s done it before, and He will do it again, and I’m so thankful for that.

Reflection:

• What are some worries that you need to lay at God’s feet today?
• Think of a time in your life when God showed up with perfect timing and let that be a reminder for you in the future.
• Prayer: Father, thank You for Your perfect timing, for meeting our needs, for giving us reminders that You have gone before us. I pray that You continue to go before us, as we continue to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.

Family Application: Matthew 6:25-34

Author: Cooper Herrington

When was the last time you were worried about something? It might have been something you could not control. Maybe it was what you were going to eat for lunch in the cafeteria, what you were going to wear to school, or whether you would have a friend to play with at recess. Whatever may have you worried about, I want you to know that God is bigger than your problem, and He is in control.

• Our Bible reading from today tells us that God takes care of every single animal and plant. God is watching and caring for each and every thing He has created. Just think, if He is doing that for the birds and grass, how much does He care about and love you. What is one thing you are nervous about? How does it make you feel to know that God is in control?
• Find one person today to tell the good news that God is in control and that He loves us and takes care of us, every single day, every single moment.
• Prayer: God, You are in control. God, You made the earth and everything in it. Thank You for taking care of every single thing. Thank You for watching over me, caring about me, and giving me exactly what I need. God, help me tell someone that you are in control and that You love them, too. God, You are my best friend. Amen.