Peace Amidst Worry

I'm back into Matthew 6:33 where Jesus tells the crowd gathered around him to seek first God's kingdom and God's righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. I've used this verse in a previous post to emphasize that our chief goal in life is to seek him and to follow his ways. But something hit me today on this verse. I realized that I--and probably a whole lot of you as well--have either consciously or unconsciously focused much of our attention on the second half of this verse. IF we seek his kingdom and his righteousness, all these things, i.e., all that we need, will be added unto us. I've never read this verse to mean that I'd be luxuriously taken care of, but that as verse 32 tells us God knows that we need our necessities. I think this interpretation is true, but I see a greater meaning in this passage. Verse 33 is nestled in a section that deals with the worries of this life, and Jesus admonishes his listeners not to worry. As Jesus says in verse 25, the body is more important than clothes and life more important than food. What Jesus is promising us is that if we seek his kingdom and his righteousness, God will give us peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding even during the most tumultuous periods of our lives. That is the true gift that God will add unto us if we but seek him first. Yes, God will take care of our needs, but more importantly God will give us a peace that is even more important than clothes or food. For how much comfort is there in life if we have clothes and food but cannot free ourselves from the worries of this world that drive us insane.

It's been almost 6 months now since I've really gone to work. I've had a lot of ups and downs, but I've been slowly gaining peace. The secular world will say that I'm just getting accustomed to my unemployed lifestyle or that I've become numb to my plight. I suspect there is some of that as my sinful self can't be fully spared this human failing, but I believe that I'm slowly learning to wait on God's time. And accepting God's time gives peace. Not that the peace is constant or continually joyous, but it's a process that stretches and grows our faith.