In the Bible God teaches us so many truths about how He cares and provides for us. I often fail to take them to heart, and instead can find myself toiling instead of trusting.
But God doesn’t want us to toil. He wants us to trust!
When we trust, the tenor of life is very different from the times we toil.
Jesus used His created lilies to teach us a “secret” truth to trusting and resting in Him.
Luke 12:27-31 states:
“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
The lilies are absolutely beautiful as they grow in the spring. We learn from this verse that they are not troubled by the cares of life. It appears they simply allow God to nurture them and make them flourish. The wind causes adversity to the trees and plants, but God uses it to make them stronger. Their roots hold them in place. The lilies are simply vessels God works through.
This is a wonderful picture of how those of us who love Jesus should live. No worries. Adversity should build our character. We should be His vessels serving His kingdom.
28 “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”
I never considered the grass as being “clothed”, but God tells us it is. Each blade of grass has its own unique identity. We learn from this verse that grass does not live long, and near its end, it is tossed into an oven. Perhaps the grass, at the end of its “life” provides fire so wood would burn and food could be cooked? God created it. God uses it for His purpose. If He cares that much for the grass, certainly He cares far more for you and for me! Since God has a purpose for the grass, how much greater is His purpose for you and for me?
God has it all planned out, for each blade of grass, and for each of us! Life is short on this earth. But God offers the hope of eternal life for all who have a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus confronted the disciples for their little faith. Why not live with greater faith, and trust in God?
If you have not committed yourself to Jesus, and submitted your life to Him, what is holding you back? How could we manage our lives better than the One who created us, and sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins?
29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.”
How many anxious thoughts might we have in one day? What is behind our anxiety? Our anxiety often stems from our thinking that we can control life and can take care of ourselves. But God knows that thinking causes us anxiety.
God does not want us to have anxiety. This verse is not a suggestion! It is an instruction – a command to obey.
God wants us to worship and enjoy Him, while we serve His kingdom. This doesn’t mean it will be without pain and suffering. But God has promised to relieve the anxiety in the suffering as we lean into Him, trusting Him to provide. His grace is sufficient and His mercies are new every morning.
As we stop fussing over our needs and trust God to provide for us, our anxiety can turn to peace and joy. He is the One who cares for the lilies and clothes the grass, and promises to care and provide for us. He gives us true, genuine peace. The world offers false peace.
30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.
Verse 30 reminds us that God is omniscient. He misses nothing that happens anywhere in the entire world. He knows what I think, what you think, and what every person thinks. I cannot comprehend this truth, but the Bible clearly teaches that God is able to do all of this!
Since God knows all our needs, why do we fuss and toil about our needs? After all, we are told to learn from the lilies. We learn that God provides. We learn that God cares for His creation. Since He cares for the lilies and the grass, and He knows our needs, we have no reason to be stressed about anything.
I’m diligently working at remembering to ask God to help with every need I have. Once I ask, I then focus on what He has set before me for my day, trusting for His provision. He never fails. The more I trust and rely upon God, the more my frustration and anxiety wanes. I’m grateful to God that He takes such good care of me!
Biblical history proves God never fails.
Biblical history proves God cares.
Biblical history proves God knows.
Biblical history proves God provides.
How well do you know your Bible and the accounts that support that He always succeeds, that He cares, that He knows all, and always provides? He has given us His Word so that we can truly know all of this and far more about Him.
This is why we need to remember Jesus’ admonition in Luke 12:31 “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Since Jesus promises us to care for our needs, our response needs to be to trust Him, and to experience His provision. This doesn’t mean how He handles the affairs of our lives will match our ideals. But God WILL do what is best for us, and that is worth any and all sacrifices He asks of His people now.
We seek God first by spending time in His Word, talking with Him, and especially listening to Him.
The mystery of the lilies is that they are not striving to work for the Lord, but they are His creation.
He does the work in and through them. He provides for them. He cares for them.
Our part is to follow what Romans 12:1 instructs: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” We are to offer ourselves to God, and allow His Holy Spirit to work in and through us. No striving, simply trusting, just like the lilies and the grass.
I recommend Jonathan Cahn’s book, “The Book of Mysteries”. He has a chapter entitled “Secret of the Lilies”.
Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.
Living for Jesus, Donna
P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!
Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.
Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.