9-20-26 “Do Not Store Up Tomorrow’s Worry”
“Do Not Store Up Tomorrow’s Worry”
I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn’t find a space in an official parking lot. Then he put a note under the windshield wiper: “I have circled the block ten times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.” When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I’ve circled this block for ten years. I’ll lose my job if I don’t give you a ticket. Lead us not into temptation.”
It’s a funny story, but it reminds us that sometimes we know the words of the Lord’s Prayer very well, but we may not always think deeply about what those words mean.
How many of you have memorized the Lord’s Prayer? I think we all have. When we were young, or when we had confirmation classes, we learned the Lord’s Prayer by heart. And every Sunday, and in most worship services, we recite the Lord’s Prayer together. But I wonder how often we truly think about the meaning of this prayer.
Today’s Scripture teaches us how easily we forget God’s blessings. It also invites us to reflect on the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is not only a prayer we recite with our lips; it is also a prayer that teaches us how to live in our practical, everyday lives.
My beloved family in Jesus Christ, have you ever noticed how quickly we can forget?
Sometimes, something wonderful happens to us, and we are filled with gratitude. We say, “God is so good!” But then a difficult situation comes. Maybe we receive an unexpected bill. Maybe someone we love becomes sick. Maybe our plans suddenly change. Maybe we don’t know what is going to happen next. And suddenly, we begin to worry.
You know, recently, several difficult things have happened to me all at once. I had a car accident, and while I was dealing with the insurance company, I also had to figure the expired documents to renew for the Immigration Department. So, I had to rent a car and make a long trip to Chicago twice.
As I told you, with God’s help, I was able to move forward right after the accident. But while dealing with so many things, I forgot God’s grace—the grace that sent good people into my life and helped me along the way. I know God is with me. But, dealing with so many things at once, I feel almost exhausted. On top of that, my insurance company does not want to pay for the cost of repairing my car because the repair would cost more than the car is worth. So, I feel like I have been dealing with one problem after another. And that experience helped me understand the Israelites in today’s Scripture a little better.
Imagine the Israelites. They had just escaped from Egypt. For generations, they had been slaves under Pharaoh. They had cried out to God, and God heard their cries. God sent Moses. God sent the plagues. And when the Israelites found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army, God opened the Red Sea. So, the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. And when they looked back, they saw the Egyptian army defeated.
Can you imagine their joy? They praised the Lord with singing and dancing. But then they entered the wilderness. Of course, God was there with them. God provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God was there to protect them all the time.
However, there was no food. Imagine the wilderness, walking a long trip with family including babies and children. No grocery store. No restaurant. no refrigerator. There was no easy way to find food. And soon, they became hungry. And when they became hungry, they became afraid. And when they became afraid, they began to complain. They said to Moses: “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt!” Can you believe that? They looked back again and again. Did they really miss their life as slaves in Egypt? Because they were hungry, they forgot their slavery. They remembered the food, but they forgot the chains.
Do you remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness? (Matthew 4:1–11) Jesus had fasted for forty days. Yes, Jesus was very hungry. When we are hungry, tired, or exhausted, it is easy to become vulnerable to temptation. But Jesus said: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus reminds us to think not only about our physical needs, but also about God’s will and God’s Word.
In Exodus 16:4, when God rained bread from heaven, God said that He would test the Israelites to see whether they would follow His instructions: “I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.” So, the manna was not simply about food. It was also about learning to trust God and follow God’s Word.
The Israelites were hungry, afraid, and vulnerable. Instead of remembering God’s faithfulness and trusting God’s Word, they began to complain. They were looking backward because they were afraid of looking forward. And perhaps we sometimes do the same thing.
When we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, we begin to worry. “What if this happens?”
“What if that happens?” But when fear comes to us, God invites us to stop and remember.
Remember what God has already done. And listen to what God says: “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you.” God knows our hunger, our fear, and our need, and God provides.
As we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” God gives us our daily bread. The manna, this heavenly bread, was provided as daily bread. They could not store it up for tomorrow. If they tried to store it, it spoiled. Isn’t that amazing grace? God provides for us day by day. God gives us what we need for today and invites us to trust Him with tomorrow.
Sometimes I think we do exactly what the Israelites did. We try to collect tomorrow’s manna today. But we cannot. And sometimes we try to collect tomorrow’s worry today. We worry about things that haven’t happened yet. We imagine problems that may never come.
The wilderness was not only a place of hunger. It was a classroom. God was teaching the Israelites how to live differently. They had been slaves in Egypt. A slave always worries about survival. A slave doesn’t know whether there will be enough, when the next meal will come or have the freedom to rest.
But God was teaching Israel: “You are no longer slaves.” “I am your God.” “I will provide for you.” “You can trust me.” And that lesson continues in the next part of the passage.
God gives them manna for six days, and on the sixth day they gather twice as much. Why? Because the seventh day is Sabbath. God gives them not only bread, but also rest. What a beautiful picture of God’s provision. God provides what we need to live, and God provides time to stop living as if everything depends on us.
What about us? perhaps some of us are standing in our own wilderness today. Maybe you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe you are worried about your health. Maybe you are worried about your family, your finances, and your future. And perhaps God is saying to you today: “Do not store up tomorrow’s worry.”
My beloved family in Christ, Sometimes, we are like the Israelites. We worry about tomorrow and forget God’s faithfulness from yesterday. But God gave them manna one day at a time. And we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow… Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34). So, don’t try to live tomorrow today. Receive today’s grace. Trust God with tomorrow. The God who opened the Red Sea is still with us in our wilderness. We may not know what tomorrow will bring, but we know who will be there.
So, my beloved family, do not store up tomorrow’s worry. Trust God today. And trust God again tomorrow. Thanks be to God. Amen!