Don’t Worry About Tomorrow

Presidential elections are big events. Billions of dollars are poured into campaigns that run for two years or more. Candidates become fixtures on our television screens and social media feeds. And we start to invest ourselves in the process. We develop a rooting interest. Sometimes, that means rooting for a candidate; sometimes, it means rooting against one.

The more of a stake we have in the outcome of an election, the more likely we are to be anxious about it. The doom-and-gloom predictions about what will happen “if X becomes president” feed that anxiety.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33–34 are a reality check: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (NLT). The things that may change following an election are insignificant compared to the things that absolutely will not change. God still sees the future. He knows the outcome of every decision. His hand is on the steering wheel. He cares about you. And He will always be with you.

Faith and worry cannot coexist. One drives out the other. They’re bad roommates. When faith comes in, worry says, “I’m out of here.” When worry comes in, faith says, “I can’t live here.” That’s why Paul says in Philippians 4:6–7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

Jesus told His followers not to worry. If you are struggling with worry in your life, ask God to help you to trust Him and give you peace. If you’re not sure how to pray for God’s peace—in your life and in the lives of others who are worrying now—here’s a prayer to get you started:

God, I pray that You will help us. I know there are people in trouble right now, people who need divine intervention, people who need You to come through. You are all-powerful. You are bigger than our problem. And You’ve told us to pray about everything and not to worry about anything. But, Lord, You know that’s easier said than done. Even so, we’re going to cast our burden on You. We’re going to offer our questions to You. And we’re going to trust an unknown future to a known God with the confidence that You will get us through whatever we’re facing. You may answer our prayers at an unexpected time or in an unexpected way. So help us recognize the work of Your hand. And we will say, “Lord, that was You.” And we will give You the glory. So we cast all of our burdens and cares on You now, and we thank You that You’re a God who hears and answers prayer.

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