Your Heavenly Father Knows

Your Heavenly Father Knows

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity – 9/13/2026

Matthew 6:24-34

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew in the sixth chapter with special emphasis on verse thirty-four which reads as follows:

[Jesus said,] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Inflation. Depressed wages. High housing prices. Grocery bills through the roof. Gas pumps that require a mortgage to operate. It is easy to become anxious about such things. This isn’t unexpected either. After all, who doesn’t need food or shelter, clothes or transportation? But even more, seeing that a dollar does not stretch as far as it used to is very unsettling.

        Such is the power that mammon, money and riches, exercises over us. Our possessions are a powerful thing in our lives in the sense that they control and relate to so much that we do. As the old saying goes, we put our money where we see value in putting it. So it comes to closely define our sense of security and safety.

Be Not Anxious

       Anxiety and worry are the currency of this world of suffering and hardship. Forces outside of our control threaten to take what we have, leave us wanting, and ultimately abandon us to hardship, or worse. Who can control the stock market? Whether the United States goes to war? Where droughts and floods come? Or what the inflation rate ends up being? So there are many things that we end up suffering such as increased prices, decreased buying power, home prices out of reach and so on. And while there are certainly things we can do to stretch a dollar, there are certainly more things that we have no control over whatsoever.

      “Be not anxious” is not what those who suffer such worry want to hear. After all, if one could simply stop being anxious and relax, he would certainly do so. Who wants to suffer worry and anxiety all the time? I don’t and I bet you don’t either. Even though worry and anxiety are miserable and most, if not all, of us would rather not suffer such things. But simply wishing these to stop is a fool’s errand; it is not so simple as to not want to be anxious and have it cease.

Anxiety and False Masters

     Our Lord Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters. Trying to do this will lead to a

conflict between the two. Specifically, He tells us that we cannot serve both God and money. This is important to remember because it reveals the root of much of our anxiety about our well-being. If we look to mammon, our stuff and money, to provide for us, to ensure our safety, to give us a stable place in the world, then we will always be anxious. Mammon is not eternal. It is not perfectly stable. It does not last from age to age. Instead, it is fleeting. Money comes in and money goes out. Property increases and property decreases. And all of it leads to worry.

     The reason for this is simple: when we turn to mammon as our master, our god, we will find ourselves disappointed and unable to be satisfied. More to the point: mammon is not able to give us peace and security because it is fleeting, it comes and goes, and it always demands from us more than we are able to sacrifice for it. False masters lead to anxiety because they do not have the ability to provide for us, to ensure our well-being, or grant us everlasting life.

      Money and possessions are not in themselves evil. They are gifts from God and should be received with thanks. The problem comes when we look to the gift to save us in itself rather than trusting in the one who gives the gifts, that is, in Almighty God.

The Master’s Peace

   This is totally different with our God. He is the true Master, the Lord of all heaven and earth. He is able to provide all we need. Only God is capable of creating ex nihilo, that is, from nothing. And if He is able to stretch out the heavens and build the stars and planets from nothing, we should have no fear that He will take care of us, provide us our daily bread, and, above all, grant us forgiveness and everlasting life. Mammon does not create out of nothing; at best it can only redistribute what the Creator has already made. More that this, He does not hide this truth. He has shown it definitively in the death of His Son. Jesus reveals the Father’s love and power.

       There is nothing that is beyond our Lord’s ability. Knowing that God provides means that mammon will have less of a grip on our hearts and minds. And with mammon being put in its proper place, the anxiety that it induces will less severe.

     God has never promised that following Him would lead us to be free from all worry and anxiety. Suffering such things does not mean that someone is less Christian or lacking in faith. But our Lord’s promise here is simple: God gives daily bread, salvation, and peace. Relief from anxiety comes from the solid foundation, the stable resting place that is our God’s mercy and care.

      In other words, if you have God, if you have been put into His household by the blood of the Lamb, if you have been given the gift of faith, you have the most secure of places in all the universe. There is no power that can deprive you of what God gives because it is the Lord, the Almighty, who gives it.

       That is to say, your worry and anxiety cannot help but diminish when you know that God is the source of your daily bread, the Author of your salvation, and that you are the concern that led Him into even giving over His Son for you and your forgiveness. And even when anxiety comes, faith knows where to put it. That is, we can take our anxiety to our Lord and rest in His care.

      Your God and Father provides also for even the birds and the lilies. And, as our Lord Jesus says, you are worth so much more than these to God. Luther reminds us of this in his explanation of the First Article of the Creed: God gives everything we need both for our bodies and souls. And this is not because of our worth or how much we deserve it, but because of His fatherly goodness.

Conclusion

      There are certainly a lot of things to worry about in this life. But we must not allow these worries to shift our gaze and divert our attention away from the good and gracious Father who provides us all that we need. We have these certain promises from God. Not only has our salvation been accomplished by our Lord Jesus, but that God will also grant us our daily bread. We may not always have what we want, but God has seen to it that we will have what we need. And this promise should be the source of confidence and peace which alleviate anxiety and worry. Be not anxious is a command, one that reveals our reliance on shifting, unstable mammon. But with this comes the promise that God provides. And this is not just any promise, but one that is so solid and sure that we cannot help but be at peace knowing that our Lord will take care of all our needs. Anxiety cannot save you. Mammon does not give peace. But your Father does, and already has, given you both through Jesus Christ your Lord.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Matthew 6:34 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.