“Just thinkin’ about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs, and the sorrow ‘til there’s none” sings the orphan, Annie, in the 1982 film, ‘Annie’. Could thinking about tomorrow possibly clear every cobweb and sorrow ‘till there’s none? That’s what we hope for, that’s what we believe sometimes as we plan for our future, as our doubts, fears and insecurities keep us constantly thinking about tomorrow and hope that it’ll get better. However, what if we decided to leave tomorrow to take care of itself and just concentrate on the next twenty-four hours instead? What if living one day at a time and not thinking about the next day or the day after that is God’s way of helping us build a better tomorrow?   

Jesus lived His life one day at a time. This is why He said in Matthew 6:34, ‘So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself, living faithfully is a large enough task for today.’ In another translation, it says to ‘Refuse to worry about tomorrow.’ By its very nature, Jesus is saying that tomorrow takes care of itself, and the task to live faithfully each day is more than enough for us to cope with. When we live one day at a time, we can trust God has gone into our futures and has all our tomorrows covered. We just need to walk faithfully in that promise every twenty-four hours we’re given.  

I recently went on a family holiday to the Whitsundays in Queensland. We’d waited almost two years to take this amazing trip to Hamilton Island due to border closers and lockdowns because of the pandemic. One morning while relaxing at the beach, I went into the sea to cool off a little. Now, I just need to clarify something here, I’m no swimmer, so my chances of seeing wonderful things in the tropical waters of the Sunshine State are practically zero. However, as I stood in the waist-deep, warm water admiring the scenery and was just thanking God for all He’d done for me, I spotted something dark and circler in the water coming towards me. I froze and tried to silence the theme from ‘Jaws‘ playing inside of my head. But to my surprise, instead of a shark, a sea turtle popped his little head up, looked at me, raised his flipper and then swam back down into the water! I actually fell backwards in the water because I was so shocked at what I was experiencing. No kidding! 

And as I sat there for a while in the water, I cried as I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart that He had allowed that experience for a reason. Just me, Him, and the sea turtle was my ‘God moment’ because He wanted me to know deep within my soul that I needed to stop thinking about tomorrow and all its worries. He was reminding me that tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that was in His hands.  

You see, the reason I got so emotional was that I had been praying for two years for my son to see a sea turtle when we went on the reef tour we’d had booked before the holiday. I knew how desperately he wanted to see one while snorkelling. I didn’t pray that prayer just so God would have to prove Himself, but because I wanted my son to know that God is real. And in His kindness, God allowed me to experience my ‘sea turtle’ moment because He wanted me to trust Him regardless of what my circumstances look like. God wanted me to know that He answers my prayers about all my tomorrows.  

To be honest, I had been worrying and praying and then worrying some more about a lot of things before our holiday. And yet, God was reminding me again that I didn’t need to worry because He was my provider, my sustainer, my constant, my saviour. He was telling me that I didn’t need to fret and stress over any of my tomorrows. Matthew 6:33 says, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…’ Other words for the word, righteousness, are goodness, virtue, honour, and uprightness. These are the things we need to seek each and every day.

You’re probably reading this and thinking to yourself, “I wished God sent me sea turtle so I could stop worrying.” I’m not sharing my story to make you feel inadequate. That experience was unique to me because it meant so much more than just the sea turtle. Believe me, I still feel humbled by the whole experience. But God knows you, dear friend, inside out and your ‘God moment’ will come at just the right time, in just the right setting so you too can learn to live faithfully and let the cares of tomorrow sort themselves out.   

So why does Jesus say we need to refuse to worry about tomorrow? Because when we worry about all our tomorrows and not allow them to take care of themselves, there’s a real risk we won’t feel like we’re in control anymore. But that’s the whole point Jesus is trying to make. When we seek God’s kingdom first, when we put our trust in Him, we realise that we aren’t in control and this helps us live out a better tomorrow, then we can walk each day with confidence in the freedom Jesus died for. 

(Oh, in case you’re wondering, my son, and my daughter both got to see a sea turtle while snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef. God loves to show off to us, right?!) 

Wendy xo

Do you struggle with letting tomorrow take care of itself? 

Like myself, do you worry more when you take your eyes off Jesus?

I pray today, that you will experience a ‘God moment’ that speaks to your worried heart that lets you know that God is your provider, He is your daily bread, and He has all your tomorrows in the palm of His hand because He has gone into your future before you and you don’t need to worry. I pray you’ll live in a better tomorrow mindset because you have put your trust and confidence in Jesus.