James Meehan - Worry vs. Trust
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— Welcome to Switch Uncut! I am one of your hosts, James Mihen. This is our other host, Katelyn Caffrey, and today we're gonna be talking about faith following Jesus and the Bible, walking through some scripture to figure out what does it mean? Why does it mean? Who does it mean?
— Oh gosh.
— Where does it mean?
— Yup.
— When does it mean?
— Yep.
— Katelyn?
— Those are all the questions.
— Felt like a good set up for you.
— Yeah, absolutely.
— So take it away!
— Okay, cool, cool, cool. So actually, we're gonna be walking through a passage of scripture found within the Sermon on the Mount. Which is like Jesus's most famous collection of teachings like ever.
— Come on.
— And the beautiful thing about the Sermon on the Mount is it is Jesus teaching us how to relate to God and how to relate to others. And this idea that he keeps communicating for how we get to relate to God is so radical. It's the idea that God is our heavenly Father. And so that's kind of what we're gonna look at today, starting in Matthew 6. So take it away.
— Verse 25, this is Jesus speaking. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat,' or 'What shall we drink,' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
— Yeah. So this is how we get to relate to God as our heavenly Father. And I think what Jesus is showing us is that what that looks like is that we trust his perspective. We trust his power and his provision. We trust his strength and his love. And we're gonna kind of walk through this passage and break it down, the different examples that Jesus gives. So starting in verse 25, again.
— So verse 25, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes"?
— Right. So, because this is how we get to relate to God as heavenly Father, we don't have to worry. We can trust in who he is. Like he knows us.
— Yeah.
— God came up with this thing called life. And so he kind of knows what we need to make it happen, to sustain it.
— Right. Chipotle and Jordans.
— Yeah. Okay. We can keep going.
— You're just gonna let that happen?
— Yup.
— Okay. So there we go. That's what the life is all about, Chipotle and Jordans. Verse 26, back to Jesus and away from me. All right, verse 26. "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. And yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life"?
— Right. So your heavenly Father feeds them, and are not you much more valuable than they? I think what Jesus is doing is what he does throughout the entire Sermon on the Mount, which is getting straight to the heart of the issue. Which is do we actually believe that we matter to God?
— Hmm.
— Because if I actually believe that, that I am more valuable to him, then my worrying is futile.
— Yeah.
— So.
— That's so good.
— Yeah.
— So lemme ask you this, how does that play into the fact that maybe for some of the students that are watching this right now, they've got a test coming up this week.
— Right.
— They've got chores to do at home. They've gotta perform at school. They've gotta do all of these things where if they don't meet this standard, then maybe they won't be able to move forward in life. It's like, how do we reconcile the very real struggles so many of us are worrying about to this idea of what Jesus is saying that, Hey, like you don't have to worry 'cause God's got you. Does that mean he's gonna take my test for me?
— No, I don't think it means he's gonna take his test for you. But I think that it means that he's like concerned with even the little details of our lives, and we can turn our worry and our anxiety over to him, no matter how big or small the situation is.
— Right.
— Which is what I love about these examples. They're not these like huge, extravagant, like my arm is falling off, and I need you to put it back on. Like, it's not these huge things. It's like little things.
— Right.
— Like the birds are hungry.
— Right.
— And it's like that day-to-day struggle, like he's involved, he cares, and he's our father in those moments and in the really big moments.
— That's so good.
— Cool.
— Right to the next one?
— Yeah, next example.
— All right, picking back up in verse 28, we're gonna go through verse 30. This is Jesus. "And why do you Worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith".
— Yeah, so in Jesus' second example, I think one really neat thing that he highlights is that when it comes to God's provision, it isn't like an exchange of services. We don't do these things to get things from God.
— Right.
— Like the grass of the field did nothing. God just clothes them. And so, that's the thing that is pointing out in our relation to God is it's not a transactional thing.
— Right.
— It's a relational thing. God loves us, so he takes care of us.
— So good.
— Yeah. So keep going.
— Next one?
— Yeah.
— Picking up in verse 31. "So do not worry saying 'What shall we eat,' or 'What shall we drink, or 'What shall we wear,' for the pagans run after all these things. And your heavenly Father knows that you need them, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".
— Right. So he kind of just concludes the whole thing with the idea of, again, God knows what we need.
— Yeah.
— And when we actually trust that, trust his perspective and his provision, this shift happens, and instead of seeking the things that we need, that we're worried that we won't get, we start seeking the kingdom of God.
— Yeah.
— And he kind of comes back to that perspective shift that can happen later on in the Sermon on the Mount. It's in chapter seven. Would you mind reading that part?
— Yep, so this is Matthew 7, verses nine through 12. Jesus says, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets".
— Right, so first thing that's happening here is like, Jesus is painting this contrast between like our earthly fathers and our heavenly Father.
— Right.
— Is like sometimes the motive of us as human beings is not good through and through. But with God, it is always good through and through. And we can trust that, so he's painting that contrast. And then the other thing that I think he's pointing out is like, if I'm anxious about me and what I need, it's gonna be really hard for me to love you well.
— Hmm.
— And so, but if I'm like hopeful and I'm confident that God has got me, that I have all that I need in him, then again, this powerful perspective shift can happen. Where in everything, I can treat you how I would wanna be treated.
— Right.
— So, yeah. I think that the final thing that I'm seeing here is like, in God's kingdom, we don't have to vie for position.
— Right.
— With one another. Like God is our father. He loves us, he takes care of us, and that is why we can show up in the world and love other people really well.
— That's so good, like, as you're saying that, it is just so cool to see how these ideas build on each other.
— Right.
— Like we don't have to worry 'cause God has us.
— Yep.
— We can take care of others because we know that God cares for us.
— Yep.
— And that's so good because I mean, how many times have I in my own life been walking through the day thinking, I gotta make sure I get what I need.
— Right?
— Right? Instead of being okay with looking out for others, trusting that at the end of the day, God's got it covered.
— Yep.
— And maybe that doesn't mean he's gonna take my test for me or he's gonna go deliver that Chipotle to me, that I only have to order it.
— Right.
— But that God cares about what I care about. God cares about me.
— Yep.
— And God really knows what matters most.
— Yep.
— He's a perfect father. That's really good.
— Absolutely. And when Jesus, like right before this section is happening, Jesus teaches us how to pray. And it's this idea of like first and foremost, we relate to God as our father in heaven.
— Come on.
— May your name be kept holy and then may your kingdom come.
— Yep.
— May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And then he moves to, so it's like after we get that part right.
— Yeah.
— Who God is, as it relates to us, then it's like, okay, now God, can you give me what I need today? Can you protect me from evil today? Can you help me actually forgive and love people today?
— Right.
— But it starts with acknowledging who God is as our heavenly father and getting that piece right. Which is what allows us to move through all of those other things.
— That's so good, and so like, we typically do, as we are walking through these passages of scripture, breaking them down piece by piece to make sure that we can interpret them wisely, then we wanna move to, okay, how does this change the way that I live? How does it change the way that I relate to God, to myself, and to others? And I think what you just did there is really cool because you're showing us that in this chapter, Jesus teaches us how to pray.
— Right.
— And then he tells us, Hey, you can pray this way knowing that your God cares about you because he's a perfect dad.
— Yup.
— And so, as you're reading through these passages of scripture, as you're thinking about, what does that mean for you as a follower of Jesus here in our modern world? What are some of the things that come to your mind?
— Yeah, I think the question that God is inviting me to ask is are there places in my heart where my default is anxiousness instead of confidence?
— Yeah.
— 'Cause I think what, again, what Jesus is doing here is reminding me that when I have firmly placed the belief that my value comes from the God who made me, and that he's my father who loves me and delights in taking care of me, that my default way of showing up in the world can be confidence.
— So good.
— But I think that there are spaces and places in my heart where I have not let that truth sink all the way deep down.
— Right.
— And so I wanna examine that. I wanna bring those things to the light because I know that my behavior follows what I believe.
— Yeah, one of the things that I think about here is two different things. The first is the amount of times where Jesus says don't worry.
— Right.
— Cool. Sounds great. But how?
— Right. And I actually think that that's part of what Jesus is inviting us to do. Is to figure out how not to worry.
— Right.
— And I think what he's telling us is it starts with trusting God.
— Right.
— And so literally what you're just saying, the question that it forces me to ask is okay, if I'm having a hard time not worrying, then how do I learn more and more how to trust God.
— Right.
— Which again is something that we talk about, and you're gonna hear talked about a lot, but it's one of those things that can feel a little bit ambiguous and not really clear, like how do we actually do that? Like I know how to tie my shoes. But I don't always know how to trust God. So, Katelyn?
— Yes.
— How do you learn to trust God?
— Honestly, I think it starts with spending time with him.
— Okay.
— Just like any other relationship as I have continued to get to know my best friend.
— Yeah.
— I like the more that I know about her and the more, honestly, that she like sees me walk through crap and decides to like actually continue to be my friend.
— Come on.
— The more that trust is built.
— Yeah.
— And I think the same thing is true with God, it's like, as we walk with him day by day, and we realize that no matter what crap we walk through, he's still with us.
— Yup. So good.
— He still loves us. The more and more my trust and confidence is built in my father who loves me.
— That's so good. And then the other thing that comes to my mind, so the first one was, what does Jesus mean when he says, don't worry, and how do I actually not worry and learn to trust?
— Right.
— The other thing is at the very end, he says, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
— Right.
— All these things.
— Mm.
— What does that mean?
— Yeah.
— And how do I get it?
— How do I get it?
— I mean, I get that I get it by seeking first, his kingdom and his righteousness, but what does that mean?
— Right, I think.
— So there you go again.
— Great, thank you.
— All the fun questions.
— Just tee that one up for me. No, I think what Jesus is inviting us to is that perspective shift that I was talking about. It's like kind of the radical realigning of priorities. Because when I trust that God is enough for me, I am not scrambling around trying to accumulate things.
— Right, yeah, yeah.
— I am more concerned with the kingdom of God, and the things that matter to him because I'm getting to know his heart.
— Yes.
— Then I am concerned with the things that matter to me.
— Yeah, yeah.
— And like, again, the accumulating of stuff.
— Right.
— And so I think what that verse is inviting us to is like the radical, like realigning of our priorities if that makes any sense.
— Sure, no, I think it totally does because that idea of seek first, so on my list of priorities, God's kingdom,
— Yep.
— and his righteousness, his rightness, that's basically what that means.
— Right.
— God's way of doing things. If I seek that first,
— Right.
— These things will be given to me as well. And so that means examining what in my life am I putting above God and his kingdom?
— Right.
— And I think that's a really good question to wrestle with.
— Right.
— Are there specific things that I spend more time thinking about, or, oh, maybe even worrying about? Oh snap!
— Mmm. Here we are.
— What if what Jesus is doing is he's saying, Hey, the things that you worry the most about are often the things that you're putting above God.
— Right.
— And what we're not trying to do is oversimplify or over-spiritualize, all this stuff.
— Right.
— What we're trying to do is honestly wrestle with the words of Jesus.
— Yep.
— And I think what Jesus wants us to understand is that even when we worry about those things, God cares about 'em too.
— Yep.
— And that's what's so big is following Jesus doesn't diminish the very real things that we have, or that we wrestle with, or that we struggle with.
— Right.
— Because he cares about every little detail.
— Yep.
— And so for me, what I wanna do is I wanna ask the question, are there things that I worry about more than I trust God?
— Right.
— Are there things that take up more of my thought life than they probably should?
— Right.
— Now, more often than not, it's probably what other people think of me is what I worry way too much about. And at the end of the day, if I really trust who God says I am, then I probably won't waste as much time worrying about who other people think I am.
— Right.
— And so I think that's the thing for me, as I read this passage of scripture is realizing, oh, the thing that I probably worry the most about isn't where I'm gonna get my next meal or clothes because I mean, for those of us who live in the US, the majority of us don't worry about those kinds of things.
— But we do worry about other things.
— Sure.
— What are those things and how can we learn to trust God, knowing that he cares about those things, to put him first so that instead of being consumed by what other people think, we can just trust in what he says.
— Yeah, okay, so I have kind of like a big question/caveat for you to help me wrestle through.
— Ooh, caveat, cave at.
— That one. So, if I'm struggling with anxiety,
— Yup.
— Does that mean I don't trust God enough?
— Pray the anxiety away.
— Right, Philippians 4.
— That's yeah, no, no, no. That is not what that means.
— Okay, cool.
— All right, so one of my favorite things to bring up is, and this is a tangent, listen, you're on Switch Uncut. You're getting a lot of Bible. Just totally unfiltered, so in one of Paul's letters, it's either first or second Timothy.
— Yep.
— Paul tells Timothy, Hey, you've got some stomach problems, so make sure you add a little bit of wine into your water. Here's what Jesus... Nope. Here's what Paul doesn't say. He doesn't say, Hey, you've got stomach problems, just pray the pain away.
— Right.
— And Paul was somebody who believed in the power of prayer. He saw God do miraculous things. He prayed for a dude to go blind, and he did in that moment. And yet, Paul didn't reduce everything to, oh, this is just a prayer problem. Now, I think Paul would say, pray about everything.
— Absolutely.
— Because he does say that.
— Absolutely.
— But when we are wrestling with worry, and anxiety, and fear, if we pray and God doesn't take it away, it doesn't mean God doesn't love us.
— Right.
— It doesn't mean that we don't have enough faith.
— Right.
— It doesn't mean that that thing is holding us back from actually following Jesus faithfully. It means we are human beings living in a fallen world, wrestling with real issues, and God cares about every single one of those. And so one of the things that we never wanna do on Switch is try to make it sound like real problems have easy answers.
— Right.
— Because they don't. Real problems often have really difficult answers. And so if you're somebody who is dealing with really significant anxiety, or depression, or worry, or some type of mental health issue, man, talk to a professional. Like we're really good at talking about the Bible.
— Yeah.
— I am not a psychologist, a counselor, or a mental health expert. And so one of the best things that you can do is talk to somebody who is because they're gonna be able to help you navigate those things in ways that'll be really helpful for you in the moment. In the same way, that Timothy had stomach issues, and Paul said, Hey, mix a little bit of wine into your water. If you are dealing with significant levels of anxiety, yes, go to God.
— Yep.
— Ask him to help you with it, and also go to other people because that's one of the beautiful things that God often does is he works through other people to help us better trust him.
— Yeah.
— And to overcome the challenges that we might be walking through.
— Yep, that's so good. I think one of the things to kind of bring it back in is like, it is safe to acknowledge our needs to God.
— Come on.
— Because he wants to be present and involved, like a dad in your life. He wants to bring comfort, and help, and security as we walk with him. And so, just bring your needs to God. It is safe to do that. And Jesus, in this passage, is inviting us to do that and trust that God knows exactly what we need, and he actually delights in meeting those needs.
— Come on. So there you have it. That's all we've got for this week of Switch Uncut. Hopefully there's something that stuck out to you that you're realizing, this is an area where the holy spirit is inviting me to become a little bit more like Jesus. By identifying what do I really care the most about. And do I trust that God cares about that thing more than I do?
— Yeah.
— Do I trust that God cares about me more than I do? And so as you're wrestling with those things, let us know in the comments below what it is that God's showing you. And if there's other questions that you have, we'd love to be able to help you navigate those. So drop those as comments down below. Other than that, that's all I gotta say. Katelyn, any last parting thoughts?
— Nope, thanks for hanging out guys. We'll see you next time.
— Awesome, see y'all.