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“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things…
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
— *Matthew 6:31, 33 (NKJV)*
The central theme of this song is the divine order of life in the kingdom of God. There is a priority that God has established, and that priority is absolute:
> “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
Everything else is secondary, and everything else is *supplied* on the condition that this divine order is accepted and obeyed.
The Lord Jesus confronts directly one of the most powerful forces that governs human behavior: worry—anxious concern about material needs. He sets before us a clear contrast:
The lyrics echo this command:
> “Do not worry—seek the kingdom first.
> Your Father knows your needs—seek His kingdom, and He will provide.”
This is not a suggestion. It is a kingdom law. It contains both a command and a promise. When we align ourselves with that order, we are brought out from under the bondage of anxiety and into the provision of a faithful Father.
Let us look at what the Word of God says about this kingdom priority.
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These words are part of what we call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus is addressing His disciples, with the crowds also listening (Matthew 5:1–2). He is not speaking to pagans, but to those who have already responded to Him, those who desire to follow Him.
The context in Matthew 6 is very important. Jesus is exposing three hidden motives of the human heart:
1. Religious activity: giving, praying, fasting (6:1–18)
2. Material loyalty: treasure, money, and masters (6:19–24)
3. Practical anxiety: worry about daily needs (6:25–34)
In verse 24 He says:
> “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Immediately after confronting the rival master of mammon (wealth, materialism as a spiritual power), He says:
> “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” (6:25)
“Therefore” links serving mammon with worrying about material needs. Anxiety is not neutral. It is the practical expression of trusting another master. Worry is the language of unbelief.
The people of Jesus’ day lived under Roman occupation, under economic pressure, with daily concern for food, clothing, and basic survival. They were not middle-class Western consumers. When they asked, “What shall we eat?” it was often a real question of survival.
And yet, in that exact environment, Jesus issues this radical directive:
> “Do not worry… Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
This is not conditioned by economic climate, political stability, or social position. It is a universal command for all disciples in every age.
The “Gentiles” (ethnē) in verse 32 are the nations that do not know the true God. Their entire life is structured around acquiring, securing, and preserving material things. Jesus is saying, in effect:
This text places us in a clear choice of lifestyles:
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Two key words in this passage are crucial to understand: “seek” and “kingdom.”
### 3.1 “Seek” – ζητέω (zēteō)
The word translated “seek” in Matthew 6:33 is ζητεῖτε (zēteite), from *zēteō*. It does not mean a casual or occasional interest. It carries the sense of:
It describes the ongoing orientation of life. It is in the present tense, indicating continuous action:
> “Be continually seeking, make it your ongoing pursuit…”
This is not an emotional moment, but a permanent priority. The lyrics reinforce this emphasis by repetition:
> “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…
> Seek first the kingdom of God…
> Seek the kingdom first.”
The song, by repetition, mirrors the ongoing, habitual nature of *zēteō*. The Christian life is not primarily reacting to needs; it is proactively pursuing the Kingdom.
### 3.2 “Kingdom” – βασιλεία (basileia)
The Greek word is βασιλεία (basileia). It does not primarily mean a geographical realm, but:
The “kingdom of God” is, first of all, God’s rule. It is wherever God’s authority is acknowledged, submitted to, and expressed. It is not merely the place we go when we die; it is the ruling presence of God breaking into this present world through Jesus and His disciples.
So when Jesus says:
> “Seek first the kingdom of God…”
He is saying:
> “Pursue above all else the active rule and authority of God in your life and in the earth.”
This redefines the focus completely. We are not called to seek religious experiences, or even blessings, as the first thing. We are called to seek that God be King—in our hearts, in our homes, in our priorities, in our finances, in our relationships.
The lyrics then gain new weight:
> “Your Father knows your needs—seek His kingdom, and He will provide.”
To “seek His kingdom” is to progressively yield every area of life to His rule. Provision, then, is not a random reward; it is the fruit of being under His government.
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Let us move through the key themes in the lyrics and anchor them in the wider testimony of Scripture.
### 4.1 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? … drink? … wear?’”
Jesus commands: “Do not worry.” The verb He uses (μεριμνάω, merimnaō) means to be divided in mind, to be pulled apart by care. Worry is a mental and spiritual fragmentation.
Notice:
He does not simply say, “Do not feel concern.” He targets the words:
> “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’…”
Worry speaks. It forms confessions that shape our inner atmosphere and open doors in the spiritual realm. Proverbs 18:21 says:
> “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
Jesus identifies “worry language”: repetitive, anxious questions that assume uncertainty about God’s care. The song faithfully reproduces this phraseology, but then leads us out of it:
> “Therefore do not worry, saying,
> ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’
> or ‘What shall we wear?’”
We are to recognize these patterns in ourselves and refuse to give them voice. Instead, we replace them with kingdom-seeking speech: proclamations of trust and submission.
Elsewhere, Scripture reinforces this. Philippians 4:6:
> “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”
We do not deny needs, but we refuse to internalize them with anxious speech. We transfer them to God in prayer.
### 4.2 “For after all these things the Gentiles seek.”
Here is a very sharp contrast. Jesus defines the core lifestyle of the nations: they “seek” (zēteō) after “these things”—food, drink, clothing, material security.
This is an unending cycle of acquisition and anxiety. It is not merely a psychological issue, but a spiritual identity issue. To live driven by material pursuit is to live as a Gentile in practice—even if we profess the name of Christ.
Colossians 3:1–2 applies the same principle:
> “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above… Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
There are only two ultimate directions of seeking:
The song contrasts these two kinds of seeking:
### 4.3 “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
This is the theological heart of the passage: Fatherhood and omniscience.
Two truths:
1. He is your Father – not an impersonal force, but a covenant Father through Jesus Christ.
2. He knows your needs – not guesses, not generalities; He knows precisely.
Psalm 103:13:
> “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
Before He commands us to seek, He reassures us of His knowledge and care. We do not seek the kingdom to earn His attention. We seek the kingdom because we already have His attention.
There is a critical distinction:
Philippians 4:19 promises:
> “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
The lyrics rightly emphasize:
> “Your Father knows your needs—seek His kingdom, and He will provide.”
The basis of kingdom seeking is not asceticism, but trust in Fatherly care.
### 4.4 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
Here we reach the central command.
#### 4.4.1 “First” – priority, not sequence only
“First” does not mean “the first of several equal priorities.” It means primary, supreme, governing. Everything else is arranged under this heading.
This is a structural reordering of life.
#### 4.4.2 “The kingdom of God”
As we saw, the kingdom is the active rule of God. So to “seek first the kingdom” is to ask in every situation:
It is to pray sincerely, not religiously:
> “Your kingdom come.
> Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
The kingdom is not a vague concept. It is the actual extension of God’s will from heaven into earth through yielded vessels.
#### 4.4.3 “And His righteousness”
The Greek word is δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) – rightness, conformity to God’s standard, being in right relationship with God.
There are two aspects:
1. Imputed righteousness – what is credited to us through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21–22; 2 Corinthians 5:21). This is our legal standing before God.
2. Practical righteousness – our lived obedience, the outworking of the new nature in conduct (1 John 3:7).
Jesus is not separating these. To seek “His righteousness” is:
Romans 14:17 defines the kingdom:
> “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
So when the lyrics repeat:
> “Seek first the kingdom of God
> and His righteousness…”
They are describing a life that:
This directly contradicts the lifestyle of worry. Worry-centered living is self-preservation. Kingdom-and-righteousness seeking is God-centered, obedience-centered.
### 4.5 “And all these things shall be added to you.”
This is not an optional bonus. It is a divine guarantee under a condition. The condition: “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness.” The consequence: “All these things shall be added.”
“All these things” refers back to the repeated list: food, drink, clothing—legitimate material necessities. God does not despise them. He simply refuses to let them be first.
Psalm 34:10:
> “The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
> But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”
This is the same spiritual law stated in another form. Seeking God Himself results in necessary provision.
We must understand:
The promise is addition, not subtraction. The kingdom is not anti-material; it is rightly ordered material life under God’s rule.
The lyrics reaffirm the same truth using different renderings:
This repetition mirrors the various translations and presses the promise into our hearts.
### 4.6 “Do not worry—seek the kingdom first.”
The song returns repeatedly to this command:
> “Do not worry—seek the kingdom first.”
Notice the twofold pattern:
1. Negative: Do not worry.
2. Positive: Seek the kingdom.
You cannot live in a vacuum. If you cast out worry without replacing it with kingdom pursuit, you will end up with another form of bondage. The mind must be reoccupied with the purposes, promises, and priorities of God.
2 Timothy 1:7:
> “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Worry is often energized by a spirit of fear. The antidote is not just willpower, but realignment of trust and obedience: seeking first the kingdom.
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Now we must ask: How do we move from theory to practice? How do we actually “seek first the kingdom” and break the power of worry?
Here are four clear steps.
### Step 1: Renounce Worry and Its Speech
First, we must treat worry not as a harmless habit but as disobedience and often as a doorway to spiritual bondage.
James 1:8 calls the double-minded man “unstable in all his ways.” Worry is double-mindedness about God’s care.
Practical action:
This is active spiritual warfare over your thought life.
### Step 2: Establish the Kingdom as the Non-Negotiable Priority
Second, we must consciously re-order our priorities.
Ask specific, concrete questions:
Romans 12:1–2 describes presenting our bodies as living sacrifices and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is the internal revolution of priority.
Practical action:
### Step 3: Take Hold of Your Identity as a Child of the Father
Third, you must anchor your heart in the reality of Fatherhood. Worry thrives where the Fatherhood of God is unknown or merely theoretical.
Galatians 4:6–7:
> “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave…”
Worry is the language of slaves and orphans. Trust is the language of sons and daughters.
Practical action:
You cannot seek the kingdom confidently if you doubt the kindness of the King.
### Step 4: Practice Kingdom-Seeking Habits
Finally, seeking is not an emotion; it is a pattern of habits. We must cultivate ongoing kingdom-seeking.
Examples:
Hebrews 11:6:
> “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Diligent seeking is measured in practical obedience over time.
Practical action:
As you adopt these practices, you will find that anxiety begins to lose its grip. The spiritual atmosphere around your life changes as you move from self-preservation to kingdom pursuit.
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### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, deliberately, as an act of alignment with God’s Word:
> I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and King.
> I renounce worry, anxiety, and fear about what I shall eat, what I shall drink, and what I shall wear.
> I am not a Gentile who does not know God; I am a child of my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.
> My Father knows my every need before I ask Him.
> By His grace, I choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
> I place God’s rule and God’s will above every other priority in my life.
> I submit my time, my finances, my relationships, my work, and my future to His authority.
> According to the promise of Jesus, as I seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
> all these things—my legitimate needs—shall be added to me.
> I refuse the language of worry and I embrace the language of faith.
> The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack.
> In the name of Jesus, amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You.
I acknowledge that many times I have allowed worry to dominate my thoughts and words.
I have often sought things more than I have sought Your Kingdom.
I repent of this and I ask Your forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, I submit afresh to Your rule.
I ask You to establish Your kingdom more fully in my heart, my mind, and my priorities.
Holy Spirit, uproot from me every habit of anxious thinking and speaking.
Write this word deeply in me: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
I ask You, Father, to reveal Yourself to me more clearly as my Father who knows my needs and cares for me.
Teach me to trust, to obey, and to seek Your rule in every area of my life.
As I align myself with Your order, I receive by faith Your promise that all these things will be added to me.
I thank You for Your faithfulness, Your provision, and Your peace.
In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
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