Letters to God
(Read Matthew 6)
Christians know how the story is going to end, so having faith when going through serious times gives them something to hold on to that others don’t have. I don’t mean to be cynical, but it’s easier to show faith when we know the outcome. There are many stories of people in the Bible who showed incomparable faith while going through horrible trials, and not one of them knew how the story would end. Look at Joseph, Abraham, and Mary, sister of Lazarus. We have the book of Revelation, they didn’t.
My neighbor and good friend (B) lives her life like the examples above. “I didn’t really understand my faith until I left home at 17,” she said. She is a spiritually mature woman. She’s sweet, kind, and she has an honest directness to her that I find refreshing. (B) added, “My faith that I discovered as a child of 11 grew within me when I left home and when I was living overseas.”
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers — most of which are never even seen — don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Matthew 6:30-32 — The Message
Jesus was giving some straight talk to his disciples. Sometimes he was obscure, but not here. He was direct in this message. He was leading his audience to the presence of two kinds of masters and two kinds of treasures. We can choose one or the other, but we can’t choose both. Jesus needs to be prioritized above everything else. We either care about what we get in life or what God gives. All the creature comforts and temporary pleasures are secondary compared to Him.
(B) had a clear sense of her master and her treasure from an early age. “When I was 11, my Pastor was preaching and I felt Jesus take my hand. Next thing I knew I was up at the altar. I told the Preacher that I believed in Jesus and wanted to to get Baptized.”
She had grown up going to church but she told me it was really her Grandmother who fueled her journey to faith. I was curious how much she felt she knew about Jesus at that age. She replied, “I knew I needed Jesus then but my relationship with Him took time to mature.”
“I got Baptized at 11 and then again with my husband and daughter. It was funny,” she laughed, “the Pastor didn’t turn off the water filling the tank, so there was an abundance of water overflowing all over the place. I was told that we must be extra special to get all that Holy water.”
(B) was prophetic and somewhat poetic in the description of her faith story. She told me that on her own as an adult, she went through some cloudy seasons. “I had moments when Jesus spoke to me during this cloudiness. Jesus’ voice would always rise above the fog. When my thoughts were horrible, I would write. I would write letters to God. I would write Scripture and things would start to make sense.”
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 — KJV
She continued, “Writing to Jesus always helps me relate to God. It helps me prioritize things.” I believe her journaling to Christ is the result of her proper priorities, her single-mindedness to Jesus. “When I have anything going on against me, I remember that verse. BUT, she emphasized. ‘But seek ye first.’ I always look to that. It makes me prioritize and exclude everything else.”
Jesus isn’t just telling us to devalue our material possessions, as important as that is, he wants us to direct our entire lives towards Him. Jesus promised us that by putting His kingdom and righteousness first, we will lose our worries, our anxiety, and gain freedom, joy, and light. We will lose our desire of wanting things. Nothing on earth escapes God’s loving care, especially the adorned wildflowers of the fields, especially us.
Why shouldn’t we seek God’s kingdom above everything? (B) explained, “Jesus always knows the way. The same way an air traffic controller sees above the runways. Even in the clouds, they see through all the chaos, they see all the planes, where they’re coming from and then direct them. Jesus sees it all. It reminds me that I need to follow him and go on His path.”
Wow, I thought!
“But I have a wandering heart,” she exclaimed. “The process of change is always in my heart,” she added. “I get impatient.” Like all of us, (B) wants the whole picture from Christ right now. She said, “Jesus, stop telling me one step at a time.” His time isn’t our time.
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 6:34 — KJV
God wants us to know that trusting in Him is an ongoing process in the now, not yesterday. Trusting God encourages Him to provide what we need every single day. Whereas anxiety points to where we put our treasures. Anxiety makes problems bigger and God smaller. (B) said, “I used to say I wish you would just do this or that for me, then one day I heard God say, no no no, I want you to do it. I want that from you.”
“How has your faith helped or influenced others?” I asked.
“I’m not sure if my faith has influenced others,” she said candidly, “but my faith is influenced by how I live and how I live influences others.” She unfolded a short story of her impact on a co-worker. (B) said, “She absolutely hated my leadership style. I disliked her work ethic and her attitude. She was never held accountable and I’m all about accountability.”
I was leaning forward on my seat because I couldn’t imagine anyone having a conflict with her. (B) is a smiley, engaging, approachable disciple of Christ. Admittedly, I was a bit curious. “She pulled me aside one day and said she didn’t appreciate the way I said something to her. So I asked her what would have been a better way,” said (B) mirroring a Christlike response. “Once she told me, I saw her way and agreed with her. I explained to her that I wanted her to become the best she could become.” Exactly what Jesus would do in a conflict, she listened to her. From that point forward, “The relationship shifted. She knew she could trust me.” (B) told me that this young lady is now finishing up a professional degree. “It was a complete transformation.”
“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 — NLT
Even though God was more than likely directing this passage towards His people of Israel, we would be missing out if we didn’t apply the fruit of this passage towards us as believers. God wants us to be the best we can be, just like my friend (B) wanted for her co-worker.
This passage above just oozes with hope. Here is the most loving Father in existence who has the ability to fulfill His desire of giving us limitless hope and a perfect future. When times are high or low, He is there. “God will continue to get me through my seasons,” (B) concluded.
The thing is, we all know how it ends. We have a Savior who conquered death at the foot of a cross. There will be a battle in the future, hint — the good guys win. Some followers of Christ don’t live their life with that confidence. (B) does. But in the meantime, there will be pain and loss. People like my friend don’t get distracted. Her faith, as evidenced by how she lives her life, is an ongoing reminder of our victory. She lives with the end in mind. When there are struggles, she will send off a letter to God for clarity in this cloudy mess.
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:9-10
Key Applications:
- Think about anxiety. Does it affect you? If you’re like many Americans, it can have a hold on you. Think big. God big. Lay your worries on Him. Tell Him what’s keeping you up at night. He already knows, but tell Him.
- Write a letter to God this week. Try something that’s troubling you. See if it clears up your cloudiness.
- Pray a simple prayer each day this week. Thank God for sending Jesus here to defeat death on our behalf. Thank God for calling you to Him. Lastly, thank God for letting us know the end when we’re living in the middle. Let’s live life with this confidence.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.