Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:22-26 NIV

The words don’t worry are difficult to take at face value. In our western lexicon, that phrase has become little more than a friendly acknowledgement – the verbal equivalent of a thumb’s up or a head nod.

“Thanks for doing that.”
“Don’t worry about it.”

Telling a person who’s discouraged or struggling not to worry could seem dismissive. Or cruel. Or just plain dumb. And yet, “don’t worry” is exactly what Jesus told the men who would spend the rest of their lives battling discouragement and struggling through unimaginable hardship until eventual martyrdom. To be sure, the desire to convey the uselessness of worry came from the depth of His perfect compassion. Jesus loved His disciples. He didn’t want them wasting headspace considering a bunch of worst-case scenarios or what-ifs that couldn’t add so much as an hour to their lives.

Jesus knew that humans have a way of clinging to delusions of self-protection and self-sufficiency, so He gave them something else to consider: the ravens. If God can care for a bunch of nasty, egg-stealing, scavenger birds, how much more will He meet the needs of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose? (Romans 8:28)

Ravens do not have a favorable reputation. As evidence, groups of ravens are known by several names, none of which are flattering. Most commonly, there’s an unkindness of ravens, along with a treachery, a conspiracy, and a murder of ravens. Unkind, treacherous, conspiratorial, murderous jerks.

There was, however, a major exception. In the Old Testament, an unkindness of ravens kindly fed the prophet Elijah while he was on the run. He was hiding from a king who wanted him dead. God sent Elijah to a certain ravine and said, “You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there” (1 Kings 17:4 NIV). Which is exactly what happened. Elijah didn’t freak out and worry about how that was even possible. He obeyed and, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook” (v. 6 NIV).

“Thanks for doing that, God.”
“Don’t worry about it, Elijah.”

Out of the depth of His perfect compassion, God will not only feed the nasty ravens, if it suits His plans, He will direct them to supply our needs. Nothing about His provision has to be rational. Which means, we can take Jesus’ words “don’t worry” at face value. He is never dismissive or cruel or dumb. He may use the most unkind of circumstances to sustain us—He may even use total jerks—but that’s only to cure us of our delusions of self-protection and self-sufficiency. Because Jesus loves His disciples, He tells us not to worry. Which is the best choice of words to convey His compassion and this extraordinary promise: we will be fed.

Application: There’s no point in worrying about the worst-case scenarios and what-ifs. Like Elijah, we are to trust the God of the impossible.

Prayer: Praise God for His miraculous provision. Thank Him for the kindness He shows even through seemingly unkind means. Ask Him to help you worry less and loosen your grip on the delusions of self-protection and self-sufficiency.

Adapted, The Chosen, Book Four, Amanda Jenkins