Faith and Fear: "Look at the birds of the air..."

​Anxiety is the antithesis of faith, for one is fear, worry, and uncertainty in regards to the future, while the other is reassurance, confidence, and certainty that, regardless of what may come, He will see us through. So what does the Word have to say about anxiety? Well, Jesus has a rather interesting perspective on the topic. In the Book of Matthew, within his famous and foundational Sermon on the Mount, He addresses this topic. Food, water, clothing...these are all the basic needs of every person who has ever been, from Adam onward. As such, Jesus could have spoken about several things. In context, the Book of Matthew is traditionally considered to be the synoptic Gospel aimed at a mostly Jewish audience. In an observation of the text, we see that it somewhat relies upon the assumption that those reading already have some sort of familiarity with cultural customs as well as knowledge of the Scriptures. This makes what is about to happen even more magnanimous. Of food, drink, and clothing, there are a vast plethora of examples in the Hebrew scriptures where God provided these things: He clothed Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21); He fed the Israelites as they wandered the wilderness, serving their penance (Exodus 16:35); and He gave His people miraculous water from a stone when they were in the desert (Exodus 17:6)...the scriptures are filled with so many examples of God’s grace and faithfulness that He provides those who follow Him. But Jesus doesn’t use any of those examples. Instead, He does something interesting:

Jesus points to the creation; He points to the workings of nature and the universe; He points to the world around us that God so dearly holds together in his hands. “Why worry?” He asks. The world is taken care of: the sun rises; the moon holds the seas in its hands; the forest still grows; the winds still sweep across the meadows...nature is in balance, held firmly in His grasp. "They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" This is also echoed in the famous 23rd Psalm, a psalm of David. This verse precedes the famous “though I walk through the shadow of Death...” yet it is actually far more valuable than we often give it credit for, and it is in some ways a foreshadowing of our scripture in Matthew. Not the independent clause, but the dependent one following it: “I shall not want.”

Rely on Him, for He is faithful, and with him, you shall not want. Go with faith and bravery, for He holds your hands. So give Him your fears, and He will not let you fall.