Have you noticed how life seems like such a struggle? It feels like we have to put in so much energy to attain a little success, achieve a minor goal, or accomplish a simple task—too much effort for too little return. We cannot help but wonder if this is the point of life.

It isn’t! We weren’t created to be slaves; we were created to be free people. However, if we are to enjoy our freedom, we need to stop believing that everything depends on us and start believing that it depends on God. The Psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). 

We are told to be still and let God be God. However, we believe WE need to make everything happen in our lives: we have to open the right doors in our careers, we have to find the right person to marry, we have to make the right connections to prosper. Consequently, we burn the midnight oil studying, we work overtime in our jobs, we anxiously go through matrimonials and matchmakers, we butter-up and suck up to people. Isn’t this so stressful? It causes hypertension and anxiety, panic attacks and sleepless nights, and other assorted misery. Why?

“Consider how the wildflowers grow,” Jesus said one day. “They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:27‑28,31).

And therein lies the solution. Seek God and his kingdom! God knows what we need. He will provide it to us. What kind of a father is he, otherwise? But if we believe we are self-sufficient individuals who are masters of our destiny, he doesn’t interfere until we realize that we aren’t masters of anything, much less our destiny.

We often discover this in the wilderness, a place of isolation and/or tribulation. We are left with no choice but to depend on him! Then, our faith gets strengthened when we see that he is a God of his word. Our confidence in him increases when we discover that he is a God of power and might. Our trust in him grows when we realize he is a God of love. 

We finally start to give God first place in our lives. In turn, he starts to do all the things we wanted to do, and we will find that the blessings we spent so much energy and effort chasing after come to us almost “automatically.” 

So, seek God and his kingdom.