Anxiety, It's for the Birds

OUTLINE:

Main Point: In faith, we trust Jesus through worry and anxiety in our lives as his disciples.

I. Your Grace is Greater Than my Worry. v25a

II. You Have Made Us More Than Food. v25b

III. You Have Made Us More Than Cloths. v25c

IV. You Value Us More Than Birds. v26

V. You hold control Over My Life, I Do Not. v27

VI. You Make Us Outlast the Flowers. v28-30

VII. You have Given Us a Relationship that Unbelievers Don’t Have. v31-32a

VIII. Heavenly Father, you know our needs. v32b

IX. We find our needs met in your kingdom. v33

X. You have given us grace for today and promised us grace for tomorrow. v34

Beyond the Walls (Grace and Growth)

Weekly Reading:

Day 1 – His Grace Is Greater Than My Worry

Scriptures: Matthew 6:25–27; Psalm 55:22

• What forms of worry tend to pull your attention away from trusting God?

• How does remembering that God is not your worry govern the length and direction of your life, bring peace?

• Where do you see the difference between legitimate concern and the kind of worry that begins to master you?

• What is one place today where you need to say, “Lord, your grace is greater than my worry”?

Day 2 – You Are Worth More Than Birds and Flowers

Scriptures: Matthew 6:28–30; Psalm 103:13–14

• Why does Jesus point us to birds and wildflowers?

• How does their simple dependence expose the way we often cling too tightly to our own control?

• What does your anxiety say about where you tend to locate your value?

• How might remembering your place as a beloved child of God begin loosening the grip of fear?

Day 3 – Your Father Knows What You Need

Scriptures: Matthew 6:31–32; Psalm 73:23–26

• What daily needs weigh on your mind more than anything else?

• How does knowing that your Father understands those needs better than you do reshape your outlook?

• Where is your heart tempted to live like the “Gentiles” who chase after temporary things?

• What does contentment look like for you in this season?

Day 4 – Seek First His Kingdom

Scriptures: Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:1–4

• What would it practically mean for you to put God’s kingdom ahead of your own priorities this week?

• How does anxious striving reveal the places where you seek your own kingdom first?

• Where do you sense Jesus inviting you to trust that “all these things” will be provided as you follow Him?

• How can seeking God’s righteousness become the steady orientation of your days rather than an occasional attempt?

Day 5 – Grace for Today and Grace for Tomorrow

Scriptures: Matthew 6:34; Lamentations 3:22–24

• What future fears pull your mind away from the grace God is giving you right now?

• How would life look different if you lived one day at a time, receiving God’s mercies as they come?

• Where do you tend to fall into fatalism instead of hope — assuming tomorrow’s troubles will outweigh tomorrow’s grace?

• What simple reminder can help you return to the truth that God’s faithfulness will meet you again in the morning?