Day 5 - Do the Next Thing
A Weightless Devotional
“So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
Even though we know that once we commit our way to God and trust Him with that way, He promises to act on our behalf and handle the outcome far better than we ever could, it can be hard to know what that looks like. Hard to know if we are succeeding. That thought by itself can cause some anxiety. You know you need to trust Him, but does that mean He’ll do all the work while you sit by and watch?
The answer to this dilemma is, in the words of Oswald Chambers, to simply “Trust God and do the next thing." This is the essence of walking by faith: trusting God by surrendering your plans, anxieties, and uncertainties to Him, believing that He will take care of the outcome, and doing the next thing without any care about the outcome. Trust is not worrying about the next 15 things or the results of the next 15 things, but just doing the next thing.
Most of our worry finds its fuel just beyond the next thing. What will happen tomorrow, next week, or even years down the road? But Jesus tells us not to “worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) We aren’t given grace for tomorrow, next week, or years down the road. We are only given grace for today. Maybe that’s why anxiety so easily claims a stake in our future— because that future is not where grace lives. One long-time pastor puts it like this, “We allow our daily concerns to turn into worry and therefore sin when our thoughts become focused on changing the future instead of doing our best to handle our present circumstances.”
Anxiety about the future not only robs you of your peace today, but it leaves you with a pocket full of sadness. In fact, “What else does anxiety about the future bring you but sorrow upon sorrow?” as Thomas A. Kempis once said. It may promise protection and provision, but all it ever really delivers is melancholy and gloom.
Trusting God with your way means letting go of the burdens of “what-ifs” and “what-might-bes,” and focusing instead on what is right before you, trusting Him not only with the outcome but with each day, each step, each moment. When you trust God, you acknowledge that He holds your future in His hands and that His plans for you are good, even when you can’t see the full picture. As your thoughts travel to the imagined future, your present suffers from the abandonment of a mind that has moved on and left you only with fear and sadness.
So, how do you live out this trust practically? Begin by committing your daily tasks, worries, and plans to God in prayer each morning. Ask Him to guide your steps and give you the wisdom to handle the challenges of the day. Then, focus on the present. Instead of letting your mind wander to the uncertainties of the future, concentrate on doing the next thing well. This could be as simple as completing a task at work, spending quality time with your family, or taking a moment to rest and reflect.
Engage in practices that anchor you in the present. Mindfulness of His presence, gratitude for His goodness, and worship of His very essence are powerful ways to stay connected with God and keenly aware of His omnipresence. When anxiety about the future creeps in, remind yourself of His promises and His faithfulness. Recall times when He has acted on your behalf, and trust that He will do so again.
Embrace the wisdom of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34, and let them guide you in your journey of faith. Trust God, and do the next thing. By doing so, you will find peace and joy in the present moment, and you will see God act in ways that are beyond your imagination.
As you live today, free from the burdens of future worries, you will discover the beauty of living in the now, in the presence of the Great I AM. Trust in Him, commit your way to Him, and watch as He faithfully acts on your behalf.
Thoughts to Ponder
What is the next thing that you have to do? Not the next thing after that, but what are you meant to be doing right after this?
What is further down the list of things you’re occupied with right now?
In what ways could you remove your thoughts from things down the list and only live with your present thing?
How many things down the list are you habitually preoccupied with?