Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus doesn't just tell us not to worry about tomorrow; he points out that tomorrow will have its own troubles. The real insight is that we're meant to deal with today's challenges, not borrow from the future, because God's provision is intended for each day as it comes.
Jesus is wrapping up a powerful section in the Sermon on the Mount about not living for worldly treasures or anxieties. Having just pointed out that God already cares for the birds and the lilies, he concludes by urging his followers not to fret about what tomorrow might bring, because each day has enough challenges of its own. He encourages them to focus on the present, trusting that their Heavenly Father will provide as needed.
Ever feel like you're carrying the weight of the world, not just for today, but for the next five years? Jesus offers a radical perspective on our anxieties.
Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6:34 isn't about being irresponsible or burying our heads in the sand. Instead, it’s a profound call to trust God by focusing our energy on the present.
The Weight of Tomorrow
Think about it: when we worry about the future, we're often borrowing trouble. We take on anxieties that haven't even arrived yet, compounding the stress we already feel today. Jesus points out that each day has its own challenges – its own 'evil' or 'trouble' – and trying to manage those and the potential troubles of tomorrow is an impossible and unnecessary burden. It’s like trying to carry two heavy loads when you only need to carry one.
Trusting the Father's Provision
The reason we can leave tomorrow's worries behind is rooted in who God is. He is our Father, and He provides for His children. The anxieties of today are enough; we don't need to add the imagined anxieties of the future. By focusing on the present and trusting God, we can find sufficiency and peace, knowing He will meet us when tomorrow comes, just as He meets us today.
Jesus personifies 'tomorrow.' What does this playful, yet profound, statement reveal about God's sovereignty over time?
Jesus’ phrase, 'for tomorrow will be anxious for itself,' is a clever way of saying that the future has its own capacity to deal with its own issues.
A Divine Appointment with Time
This doesn't mean tomorrow will magically solve all our problems. Instead, it suggests that tomorrow, when it arrives, will bring with it its own specific needs, challenges, and yes, its own anxieties. But just as God provides for us today, He will provide for us tomorrow. He orders the days, and His provision is appointed for each one as it comes.
Releasing Control to the Controller
Understand the original words
kakia · Greek Noun
Pain, suffering, or hardship. In this context, it refers to the inevitable difficulties or distresses that occur within the fallen human experience, which believers are encouraged to face with trust in God rather than self-generated anxiety.
This verse warns against boasting about tomorrow, echoing the sentiment of Matthew 6:34 by highlighting the uncertainty of the future and the folly of excessive planning or worry.
Philippians 4:6Paul directly instructs believers 'not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God,' which is a New Testament expansion of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:34.
1 Peter 5:7Peter urges believers to 'cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you,' providing a pastoral reinforcement of Jesus' command not to be anxious about tomorrow by emphasizing God's personal care.
Psalm 104:21The psalmist notes that even the young lions seek their food from God, illustrating the natural order where creatures depend on God daily, a parallel to Jesus' point that humans, as his creation, should trust their Heavenly Father for daily provisions.
Luke 12:22-31This parallel passage in Luke also addresses anxiety about daily needs (food and clothing) and the future, concluding with a similar emphasis on seeking God's kingdom first, reinforcing the core message of Matthew 6:34.
barnesMatthew 6:34: "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."
Take therefore no thought ... - That is, no anxiety. Commit your way to God. The evil, the trouble, the anxiety of each day as it comes, is sufficient without perplexing the mind with restless cares about another day. It is wholly uncertain whether you live to see another day. If you do, it will bring its own trouble, and it will also…
pulpitMatthew 6:34: "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."
Verse 34. - 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 only. Luke's conclusion to this section ("Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom") is perhaps more closely connected with…
Jesus doesn't just tell us not to worry about tomorrow; he points out that tomorrow will have its own troubles. The real insight is that we're meant to deal with today's challenges, not borrow from the future, because God's provision is intended for each day as it comes.
Jesus is wrapping up a powerful section in the Sermon on the Mount about not living for worldly treasures or anxieties. Having just pointed out that God already cares for the birds and the lilies, he concludes by urging his followers not to fret about what tomorrow might bring, because each day has enough challenges of its own. He encourages them to focus on the present, trusting that their Heavenly Father will provide as needed.
Jesus is wrapping up a powerful section in the Sermon on the Mount about not living for worldly treasures or anxieties. Having just pointed out that God already cares for the birds and the lilies, he concludes by urging his followers not to fret about what tomorrow might bring, because each day has enough challenges of its own. He encourages them to focus on the present, trusting that their Heavenly Father will provide as needed.
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We are not meant to be the anxious managers of our own futures. That role belongs to God. When we try to meticulously plan and worry about every potential future event, we are essentially trying to usurp God's role as sovereign over time and circumstance. Jesus’ words encourage us to release that control, trusting that the One who sustains us now will sustain us then.
"“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." — Jesus doesn't just tell us not to worry about tomorrow; he points out that tomorrow will have its own troubles. The real insight is that we're meant to deal with today's challenges, not borrow fr…
