GodSprings - 25, May, 2017

Do I Still Doubt He is Able?

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 6:28-30

In April, 2011, Newsweek magazine featured an article about Arnold Schwarzenegger, movie star and former governor of California. An excerpt from the article: Life at 63, for Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a titanic clash between human frailty and dazzling possibility. “I feel terrific about where I am in my life, when I look back at what I’ve accomplished. I feel horrible when I look at myself in the mirror.” It’s a jolt to hear Schwarzenegger – a five time Mr. Universe and seven-time Mr. Olympia, the Terminator, and ultimately Governor musing about his own decay. (Lloyd Grove, “Arnold’s Wild Road Trip” Newsweek 4-25-11)

It is very important for us to understand the logic of Jesus’ teachings. We observed in the last few days that Jesus first shows us our dependence upon God for our very existence, for our food and drink. Then he tells us to look at the birds so that we can have a clearer picture. Yesterday we saw that Jesus is telling us that all our anxiety will not add one thing.

Today Jesus asks us to consider the wild flowers which grow among the grass in the field. Jesus is telling us that we should behold and consider the grass and the lilies of the field. Jesus is wanting us to understand that we are not here forever. If we understand the frailty, we will have no concern about building an empire in this world, obtaining the things of this world, or being concerned with the future.

The text today teaches us our nothingness in self and our dependence upon our heavenly Father by showing that “Solomon in all his glory” was not raised above the lily or the grass of the field. We may be striving for something in this life, but we are like Solomon in all that he had was still like the grass of the field. He was not exalted in any measure above the grass.

If we have the Lord’s blessing on our labours, we wouldn’t have to struggle in our own strength. We must see our need to rest upon the Lord. Sometimes the Lord will bring us to see this by letting us go on and on until we can go no further. Then we see the emptiness.

The parable of the Lost Son is the perfect example for this. The Lord allowed him to go so far that he was eating with the swine, then he came to himself. That was when he returned to his father’s house where there was bread enough for all and some to spare. He understood that he didn’t need to struggle so much, for in his father’s house was plenty.

If we understand our frailty, we can never set our hearts on the things of this earth. Those become insignificant. We are as frail as the grass, yet God cares for it. With this evidence before our eyes of God’s tender care in the smallest things, why would we be anxious about the greater.

Let us pray – Dear Lord, help us to come to the point where we see that our first priority must be our eternal welfare and not to build an earthly kingdom.