This is Part 4 (Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3) in a four-part series on “Identity” leading up to our 2025 Conference on the same topic. For more info and registration details, click Here.
A few years ago, I counselled a brother named Peter. Peter was a dedicated Christian in his early forties with a wife and two teenage sons. When he came to me, he was considering a career change from a marketplace job to vocational ministry. Upon his graduation from seminary, however, Peter was worried about various things: “Am I already too late to start a new vocation? How can I provide for my family—is it even sustainable? Am I discerning the Lord’s will and calling correctly, or is it just my ambition?” With many questions and much confusion, Peter was deeply distressed and anxious about what was next for him and his family.
As a faithful biblical counsellor, I had a few go-to passages for anxiety. Over the weeks, we visited a few places, such as Psalms 23, 63, and John 21. We also visited Matthew 6:25-34, which is a well-known anxiety passage for many biblical counsellors. Although I had meditated on and used this passage many times before, the Lord graciously taught me a few lessons in a fresh way. In this article, I would like to share these three lessons: our worth according to Christ, our identity in Christ, and our adoption through Christ.
“Aren’t You Worth More Than They?”: Our Worth According to Christ
In our endless wrestling against worry and anxiety, the key antidote is knowing our true worth according to Jesus. In this passage, Jesus counsels his disciples—and us—by mentioning two seemingly worthless creatures: birds and wildflowers (or grass). Although they do not have homes (“the sky” and “the field” as their dwelling places) and do not work (do not “sow or reap” or “labor or spin thread”), their Creator feeds them and clothes them, even more beautiful than all of Solomon’s splendours!
Then Jesus asks this penetrating question: “Aren’t you worth more than they?”[1] As we know, this is a rhetorical question: of course we are far more valuable than the birds or wildflowers. There is a reason why Jesus asks this question to us today. By not believing what he says about our worth, we constantly try to define our value based on the worth or value that we create for ourselves (or fail to create).
This was the case for my counselee, Peter. Because he had not yet found a ministry position, Peter questioned himself: “Was it all a waste—the time, effort, and money spent for my theological education? Am I worthy at all if I cannot get a ministry position?” After listening to his burdened heart, I reminded him that our worth is not based on the kind or amount of worth that we create for ourselves but on the worth that God proclaims over us. In this sense, our value is not necessarily innate (although we are worthy as God’s image-bearers) but acquired—an acquisition from our Creator. Let me emphasize again: the divine antidote against worry and anxiety is found in discovering our true worth according to our Lord and Saviour. We must start from this foundation.
“You of Little Faith”: Our Identity in Christ
Based on the observations of the birds and wildflowers, Jesus makes a case for our creaturely inability and the Creator’s infinite ability. While we cannot provide for even our basic needs, God can provide us with all that we need. We must also consider one more aspect in our battle against anxiety: God’s divine willingness. In other words, God is not only able to help us, He is also willing to do so. Listen to Jesus in verse 30:
“If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow,
won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith?”
The last question, “You of little faith,” appears a few more times in Matthew’s gospel (8:26, 14:31, 16:8, and 17:20). While it can be regarded as a reproach, we can also hear Jesus calling his followers “little children” (Matt. 18:3, 19:14; Mark 10:13-16) through this passage as well. What a comfort it is to hear the gentle voice of our heavenly Father, through his Son, calling many sons and daughters toward himself (Heb. 2:10). Yes, we are people of little faith, but we are also beloved little children of God. To summarize: By calling us “you of little faith,” Jesus is also welcoming us as “you the little children” to his Father.
“Yet Your Heavenly Father”: Our Adoption through Christ
Lastly, note how Jesus addresses his heavenly Father in this passage: “your heavenly Father” (vv. 26 and 32). As you read this passage, consider the price Jesus had to pay to make his Father our heavenly Father. As we know, this divine adoption was not free but utterly costly. Jesus lived in the land of “you of little faith” as the Son of God, and obeyed the Father’s mission to die on the cross as the Son of Man. By living and dying faithfully, he became “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). By being raised from the dead, he became “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20). This is why we call Jesus our elder Brother. Based on the life-giving ministry of God’s own Son, we are adopted into the family of our heavenly Father.
Conclusion
From now on, whenever we call God “our heavenly Father,” let us remind ourselves the price Jesus had to pay for us. He exchanged his perfect life for our sinful lives so we can enjoy a blessed, eternal life with our Father. Thanks to the Son of God, we become divine adoptees: beloved sons and daughters, privileged to call God “our heavenly Father.” This is who we are, and this is how we weather the storms of anxiety, both inside and out: by reminding ourselves of our worth, our identity, and our adoption in and through Christ.
[1] In this article, I used CSB (Christian Standard Bible).
Jeemin Moon is a native of South Korea and is Director of Biblical Care & Counselling Studies at Heritage College & Seminary. He is pursuing a PhD in Biblical Counselling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary under the supervision of Dr. Jeremy Pierre. Jeemin holds a BA in Counselling Psychology a BA in English (Handong Global University, Pohang, Korea), an MDiv in Worship Leadership, and a ThM in Biblical Counselling (both at SBTS). He also serves as a music ministry director at Grace Bible Church in Cambridge, ON
