"Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:34 ESV)
Today was made for you—and tomorrow will be too once it arrives. However, by the time tomorrow is the present, you won’t exactly be the same anymore. The previous day will have completed its work in you and, as you wake to a new present, your ability to navigate a new day will have changed.
This highlights the dilemma of trying to navigate the future according to today’s God-given supply. God’s provision for today is not meant to be leveraged to get through tomorrow. Rather it is specifically designed to help traverse today’s particular problems. When each tomorrow comes, God faithfully provides at that time the day’s needs.
When we try and measure up our ability to navigate semi-foreseeable future challenges based on our current tools and growth, we will often feel anxious or even dip into despair. In this analysis, we miss the simple fact that our future self will not be the same as our present self. We fail to consider that walking through today’s trials is the very thing that God is using to equip and prepare us for what’s coming.
Our mind’s capacity to cobble together the worst possible outcomes and events, to fill in the lines of our hazily formed future with shades of difficulty and darkness, is remarkable and unfortunate. We can often find ourselves physically present in our day but mentally and emotionally dwelling in our theoretical future. Jesus calls us back to the present and, in so doing, reminds us our future is held by hands far greater than our own.
Therefore, let us not be anxious about tomorrow. Let us find ourselves dwelling in the present God has given, knowing He has specifically tailored today for our good and growth. May we help our clients embrace the simple calling to navigate today and tackle tomorrow when it arrives, trusting that God will give what tomorrow needs. And may God give us all eyes to see and hearts to receive that the troubles of today are what’s required to prepare us for what He has purposed next.
