scripture and prayer reflection
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Lyrics
I've been anxious, I can't sleep
Worthless worries burden me
I hunt the sun, chase the wind
Till my tired spirit spins into the ground
When I try to take control
Fear and terror grip my soul
I need joy, I need peace
I need rest, I need relief
I look to you, and you teach me to
Seek your kingdom
Seek your righteousness
See the ravens, they can't farm
Don't have silos, trucks or barns
But our God sees their needs
And he loves them and he feeds them everyday
See the lilies, how they grow
They don't work or buy their clothes
But if God, by his grace, clothes the grass with great array
Then how much more, is there in store, when I
Seek your kingdom
Seek your righteousness
I will seek your kingdom
Seek your righteousness
When I'm worried about tomorrow
I’ll fix my eyes on You
All the weight in the world won’t bury me
You'll take me home
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 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? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Reflection
Jesus’ famous words about worry and seeking the Kingdom of God come in the midst of His sermon on the mount — the most detailed sermon of His that we have recorded. This particular section on worry follows His instructions to not focus on building up treasures here on Earth but to live our lives in such a way as to store up treasures in Heaven, and His description of how impossible it is to serve two masters. Here He turns to address not money as the competing master, but security.
While we may see how fruitless our worry is, and wholeheartedly agree with Jesus that it doesn’t actually add anything to our life, it can still be difficult to untangle our hearts from anxious thoughts and concerns that rise up unbidden in our hearts. In this particular moment, when things have been changing rapidly, and we face the discomfort of being starkly confronted by our own lack of control in life, these words may feel like a great idea, but hard to reach.
The busyness and dissonance of the music in the majority of the song mirrors the chaotic feeling of anxiety we sometimes face. Though when the singer reaches the meditation on seeking God’s kingdom first, the background noise mellows and calms while in that space, it returns once the verse comes back in. This is a picture of the way that we must return again and again to intentionally seek the Kingdom and combat worry by turning to Christ. Anxiety will return, but it can become an invitation to turn to God, rather than something that drives our life.
Take some time to meditate on this passage and let the wrestlings of the songwriter of Seek Your Kingdom spur your own. May the translation of this well-known scripture passage into song be a prayer for God’s aid as you strive to seek His kingdom and release worry, cling to God’s sovereignty, and trust in His unfailing, loving plan and steady presence.