“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
I’ve heard people quote this verse in an attempt to comfort those who are facing some future difficulty. I have to say that I’ve never found this verse all that comforting. Now if it said, “for tomorrow will be great!”, or “only today has trouble” then I would find great comfort! All I have to do is make it through today and then everything is going to be better. Or maybe I have to make it through this difficult situation, but once it’s resolved life will be perfect. God’s not going to let anything “bad” happen to me again. There will be no more difficulties, nothing more to worry about. After this (whatever “this” is), life will be a bed of roses – without the thorns! But this verse is basically saying, “You think it’s bad now? Just wait! Tomorrow’s going to be full of trouble, too.” It doesn’t say the trouble will be more or harder, but there will be trouble.
I don’t think this verse is intended to be a comfort. Rather, it’s an admonition to stop borrowing trouble. Because of our propensity to worry, we end up experiencing the difficulty at least three times. For example, I know I need to have a difficult conversation with someone but I can’t have it for a day or two. I’ve been worrying about it and playing it over and over in my mind, as if I know how the other person is going to respond. So that’s facing the difficulty once. Then there’s the actual conversation. That’s twice. After the conversation, I know I’ll replay it in my mind over and over. That’s facing the difficulty for the third time. Actually, it’s much more than three times because of the number of times I’ve already thought about how the conversation is going to go, and how many times I’ll replay it, especially if it doesn’t go well. But judging by past experiences, it will go much better than all my imaginings because God has already gone ahead and prepared the way. But even if it doesn’t, it certainly won’t help matters if I get myself wound up and tense about it.
Worrying about tomorrow takes me out of today. If I’m concerned about what may or may not happen in the future, I’m not fully present in the here and now. I’m missing what God has for me today. In the same way, if I’m obsessed with replaying something that has happened, I’m stuck in the past and missing out on the present. And the present is where God meets us. He has incredible gifts for us when we meet with Him in the present. Does that mean we shouldn’t prepare for the future? I don’t think that’s what this verse is saying. Preparing and worrying are two different things and this is talking about the worry. Worry about the future will cause me to think that I can’t possibly face what’s coming. When I think that way, I’m right. That’s because God hasn’t yet given me what I need to face it. But He will. He gives it when we need it, not before. So don’t worry about tomorrow. If you have to think about tomorrow, rejoice! We’re going to see God move in mighty ways when we do our part and leave the results in His hands.