Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:25-26)

Have you ever wondered why the more technologically advanced we become, the more complicated our day to day lives have become? It used to be that on an afternoon everyone met outside under the oak tree at the picnic table to shuck corn, or shell beans, or just to enjoy a lemonade or an iced tea. The world didn’t stop spinning because we made time to be with family. I can never recall even one time that I was flustered because I was missing an event on the computer (non-existent); a text from my cell phone (what phone? we walked about a mile down the road to a telephone booth. When I close my eyes I can still remember what the inside of a phone booth smells like); yet, we managed to have a good living.

I remember going to Herman Park in Goldsboro, NC, and getting my feet wet in the wading pool. Then, we went to the center of the park to the fountain. It had an overpowering smell of roses that were long established. Often, usually once or twice a quarter, our Sunday School class would have a hot dog roast in the park. We used to see just how high we could swing in the wood swings. I don’t recall, worrying about what might happen in the future. It was a time to live and appreciate the present. The bible teaches us in Philippians 4:11: “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Somehow, we must find a way to redeem some of those precious memories for the next generation. Will they ever know how much fun it was catching fireflies (lightning bugs) at night in a mason jar; or making a bottle cap, rock and stick, fortress for an imaginary family; or drinking straight from the water hose? We survived our childhood, and today, we may feel that we are truly missing something important in our lives; what we could have done, or should have done. Past regrets, are just that: in the past.

When adulthood consumes your life, why is it that we start to doubt ourselves, and we become afraid of the future? The bible continues to help us see that God is in control:

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (Matthew 6:27-32)

It is easy to look at all of the chaos in your world today and become fearful. It is a blessing to know the peace of God which passes all understanding. God never intended on us to fail; he invested too much to make sure that we could have access to the throne and eternal life, and if he thought it would be a failure, do you think he would have robed himself in flesh to become our salvation in the first place? The answer to that is, yes, because he loves us, unconditionally.

Here is a well known principle to find God’s favor and get your prayers answered. It is simply to seek the kingdom of God, first, before you have lost another second of sleep over worrying about those things that may not ever come to pass:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:33-34).

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. I will trust him because he has promised to never leave me, nor forsake me. In all of my circumstances, God is, a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. (Psalm 61: 2-4).

No matter what the circumstances, I choose to trust God. In this week’s Lattereign, we can be assured that our enemies will fall in his presence, so  I Will Praise thee, O Lord, With my Whole Heart.