Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright

Apr

27

Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright

Anyone who reads my blogs knows that Delirious? is one of my favorite bands. This morning I was listening to one of their songs titled “Every Little Thing (Is Gonna Be Alright),” and I started thinking about the words. More specifically, I started thinking about the word little.

As Christians we usually understand that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Rom. 8:28). The problem is that we all too often think of this in a big scale. At least I do. What I mean is that I often trust God to handle the big issues; the major things. When a car breaks down and I am left without transportation, I trust God to work the situation out for the best. When a disease flares up or an unexpected bill arrives in the mail, I trust that God will sort everything out for the best. But as I was listening to the song “Every Little Thing” this morning I started to think about how God wants to take care of the little things in our lives–not just the big things.

As I started to meditate on this I was reminded of the Scripture passage in Matthew 6:25-31 where Jesus says:

“So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not. “And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! “So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (NLT).

I think that the point Jesus is making is obvious: He cares about taking care of the little things in our lives. He came to not just give us life, but to give it to us “in all its fullness” (John 10:10).

I just find it so awe-inspring that the God of the entire universe–the Creator and sustainer of all things–cares enough about us that He is willing to take care of us “from day to day.” In another place Jesus said that He sees every time that a sparrow falls to the ground, and that we are much more important to Him than the sparrows (Mat. 10:29-31). The implication here is clear: God cares about every detail of our lives!

There is one more point that I should make before I complete this post, though. Jesus did come to give us life “in all its fullness,” but we humans often look for fulfillment in the wrong places. Many people read about the fulfillment that Christ offers, and they begin to ask God for the things that they think will fulfill them. Some people ask for things, others for relationships, others for money, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but it is crucial that we remember that things will never bring fulfillment. The only thing that will bring true fulfillment is a relationship with Christ. That is why Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and [God] will give you everything you need” (Mat. 6:33).

For many years I made the mistake of seeking fulfillment in the wrong places. I was not living a bad lifestyle, but I was living with the mindset that a different job would bring fulfillment, or a relationship, or friends, or a better vehicle, etc. Again, none of that is bad. As a matter of fact, many of those things were designed by God to contribute to our fulfillment and happiness. The mistake is to think that those things on their own can bring us fulfillment and contentment. It took me years to finally understand that fulfillment only comes through Christ. He understands what we need, and when we make Him and His kingdom our #1 priority then He takes care of everything else, for He cares about every little thing.