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 6:26

Jesus here is using birds and farming of the time to explain how God provides. The farming method here hasn’t changed in 2000 years, we sill sow, reap and gather into barns. The fact is even though humans still farm the same, birds still don’t farm, and they still exist.

If you ever talk to a farmer they will tell you that they do the small stuff… God is the one who makes stuff grow. No farmer can make it rain. No farmer can force life into a seed. A farmer can cultivate the soil, and they can provide fertilizer. But life is still always in the hands of the life giver.

This passage goes with 25, not to be anxious or fear, God has a plan for our provisions. Yesterday my son and I watched “God’s and Generals”, and the story of General Thomas Jackson, a legend. He trusted God had a plan for his life, and the appointed day of his death. He stood firm during the First Battle of Bull Run, being shot in the hand he continued to hold firm, like a “Stone Wall”. He had no fear of death, He knew God had planned each breath, so why should he fear?

The Courage of “Stone Wall” Jackson was the courage that allowed the armies of the confederacy to win that day. The men under Jackson’s command rallied when they saw “The Old Man” sit high upon his horse during a barrage of bullets. That courage was contagious.

Courage is more than self determinism. Courage is placing our entire trust in God’s providential hand. Letting go of the anxieties of what shall I eat, God will give us food that we need. In times of great struggle, when we let go of our ideal plans, and allow God to guide us, he leads us places we could never imagine.

Lord, give me the courage to trust you for each breath I take, and trust that you will use me as you need to build your kingdom.