Scripture study · Matthew 6
Do Not Worry: What Jesus Says About Anxiety
Worry is normal when life feels uncertain — but Jesus invites us to see the Father, the birds, the lilies, and the ram already caught in the thicket.
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Reading guide: Gold = load-bearing phrase · Green = Father’s care · Teal = faith · Plum = promise / provision · Rust = worry / little faith
Jesus’ teaching on worry: the Father feeds the birds and clothes the lilies — you are much more valuable.
Introduction
Do not worry! The Bible asks plainly: why do you worry? It is quite normal to feel anxious when things are uncertain. Let us look at what Jesus says.
One sentence summary
Nothing changes in our lives just because we worry — but everything can change when we see ourselves as much more valuable to the Father who gave His Son freely.
Matthew 6:25–27 — Life, food, and the birds
Jesus begins with value, not a scolding. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Then He points to the birds — they neither sow nor reap nor store, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Matthew 6:25
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?
Matthew 6:26
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 6:27
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Nothing is going to change in our lives just because we worry. Anxiety cannot add a single hour to life — it only steals the hour we are in.
- We are asked to see the birds — they do not sow, reap, or save up.
- They do not fret over the next meal — yet they still live.
- God feeds them and ensures their sustenance.
- And Jesus says we are much more special than they are.
Matthew 6:28–31 — Clothes, lilies, and little faith
Matthew 6:28
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Matthew 6:29
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6:30
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?
Matthew 6:31
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
We are so special that He sent His own Son for us. Along with giving the Son freely, the Father will also give health, peace, joy, and every good thing — not grudgingly, but freely.
Notice the wild flowers: they neither weave nor work. Jesus asks, “Will I not much more clothe you?” God has promised not merely to give, but to give freely.
When worry stops
When we feel special and realise that God sent His own Son for us, worry loses its grip.
People of little faith
People of little faith — worry creeps in when faith is small. If we keep thinking we must be blessed because of our own work, anxiety returns. When we rely on God, worry stops.
| Worry grows when… | Worry fades when… |
|---|---|
| Faith is tied to our performance | Faith rests in the Father’s character |
| We scan for the next meal ourselves | We look at the birds the Father feeds |
| We forget the Son already given | We remember He gives freely with the Son |
Genesis 22 — “God will take care”
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham’s confession on Moriah: “God himself will provide.” In our lives, do we proclaim that God will take care — or do we assume we must manufacture the answer ourselves?
Genesis 22:13
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
When we proclaim that God will take care, He is fully able to change our situation and provide solutions — easily, and at the right moment. In giving and providing, He treats us as much more valuable.
The ram in the thicket
The ram caught by its horns points to Christ on the cross — not trapped by accident, but voluntarily giving Himself up as the substitute God promised before Abraham saw it.
Jesus says: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). God is the one who gives — not by the work of our hands alone, but by His grace.
Psalm 55:22 — Cast your cares
Psalm 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
When we say God will take care, He will sustain us. He is able to redeem us from every weight of worry. When we believe we are special — and that Jesus bore it all at the cross — blessing flows from rest, not strain.
How to stop worrying — five anchors
| Anchor | Scripture | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| He will take care | Matthew 6:26 · Genesis 22:8 | Say aloud: God himself will provide. |
| We are more valuable | Matthew 6:26 · 6:30 | Look at birds and lilies — then receive your worth. |
| Faith, not striving | Matthew 6:30 | Replace “little faith” sight with “much more” sight. |
| He gives freely | Romans 8:32 (with the Son) | Remember the Son given — health, peace, joy follow. |
| Come when heavy laden | Matthew 11:28 · Psalm 55:22 | Cast the burden; do not carry it twice. |
- He will take care!
- He will change things!
- He will bless — surely!
- He will give everything freely!
- We are God’s “much more valuable” creation.
Let us all go to Him when we are weak and heavy laden — He will take care.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV) unless otherwise noted.