By Rebecca Lewis, missionary to Arizona
Daily Bread – Living on the Edge of Yikes: Matthew 6:25–34
When Jesus spoke the words recorded in Matthew 6:25–34, He wasn’t offering a comforting quote for coffee mugs—He was delivering a radical invitation into a life of total dependence on God. And honestly, we’ve never needed those words more than we do right now.
This season of our lives has required us to trust God on an entirely different level. We’re no longer working steady jobs with predictable paychecks. We’ve stepped into full-time ministry as missionaries, walking away from the security of regular income, benefits, and even a sense of control over what tomorrow looks like. We are fully relying on God to provide for us—financially, emotionally, and spiritually. That decision hasn’t been easy, and it hasn’t always felt courageous. In fact, there have been many days, even weeks, when we’ve felt scared and unsure of what God is doing. But time and again, our hearts are anchored by this passage.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” —Matthew 6:25
Jesus doesn’t say, “Don’t worry, because everything will be easy.” He says, “Don’t worry, because your heavenly Father knows what you need.” The promise isn’t abundance by the world’s standards—it’s provision by God’s. He says, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you,” (v. 33).
That doesn’t mean we get everything we want. It doesn’t mean life will be comfortable. What it means is far more beautiful: God will take care of our basic needs. We may have less than we’re used to. We may have to adjust our lifestyle, deny our flesh, and give up convenience. But in exchange, we make more room for God to move. We trade control for intimacy with Him. We release our grip on certainty so we can hold on tighter to His hand.
Author Bob Goff once said, “Put yourself on the edge of yikes and make room for a miracle in your life—to really need God.” We are living in that yikes zone. And as terrifying as it can be at times, it’s also where we’ve seen the faithfulness of God in ways we never could have while clinging to comfort.
When we shared with friends and family that we were stepping into full-time ministry, nearly everyone told us the same thing: “Save up a nest egg. Be smart. Play it safe.” But when we looked for scriptural support for that approach, we came up empty. Instead, we found Jesus saying, “Take up your cross and follow me.” We saw Him instructing His disciples to take nothing for the journey—“no gold, no silver, not even a second tunic.” He didn’t tell them to build a safety net; He told them to walk in radical obedience and trust that the Father would provide.
That’s not to say that preparation or wise planning is wrong—but there’s a difference between stewardship and self-reliance. One is done with open hands, the other with clenched fists. Jesus isn’t calling us to recklessness; He’s calling us to freedom from anxiety by trusting in the daily, faithful provision of our Father.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” —Matthew 6:26
If the birds are fed, the flowers clothed, and the lilies growing without worry, how much more will He take care of us—His children, His image-bearers, His beloved?
This journey has brought us to our knees daily. Not just out of desperation, but out of dependence. We’ve learned that daily bread isn’t just a poetic idea—it’s the reality of life with God. One day at a time. One provision at a time. One “yes” at a time.
And in that, there’s peace. Jesus ends the passage by saying, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” That’s not pessimism—it’s permission to stop carrying the weight of the unknown. We don’t have to figure it all out. We’re simply called to seek His kingdom today, and trust that He’s already in our tomorrow.
So maybe your step of faith looks different than ours. Maybe it’s leaving a job, giving generously, saying yes to a calling, or trusting God with something that feels too risky. But wherever your “yikes” zone is—lean in. Let go of the illusion of control, and make room for a miracle.
God’s economy is not built on savings accounts or backup plans—it’s built on faith. And while the world may call it foolish, Jesus calls it blessed.
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