What do you need today, not tomorrow or down the road a ways, but today, what is it that needs to enter into your life before the sun sets on you today.
Need is an interesting word, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matt. 6:26) People generally think in terms of absolutes while envisioning possibilities, but needs are an entirely different concept, they are one thing to all men, but completely different to each of us. When you read just these two verses above, what honestly was the first need you thought of, was it, food, water, clothing, and shelter? If you do not have the first two, you will eventually die, so, unless you are not interested in sticking around, these could be called needs.
There are places on this planet where the temperature is conducive to the human body for comfort, clothes then would be unnecessary there, save for the same shame that enveloped our first parents, (Gen. 3:7) and shelter, well, shelter is good when the storms are present, which is the only time that some who profess Christ as Lord seek that form of need. Most generally though, if you have the first four basic needs, you can maintain your existence in the flesh. But would you be content with that, would it be enough.
Then comes the next need, it is not all those items that you have surrounded yourself with, although they are part of the equation, it is not even family and friends, these loved ones who are a part of your daily life, it is the emotional need that we seek from external sources. The lie of the world is clearly seen by those who would but look for it, many there are that have much that the world has to offer that have intentionally ended their lives, fame, power, money, influence, great stature among men, all the world has to offer, and they end their lives because they could not find what they needed. If the person that you love on this planet above all others dies, you will not die, your flesh will not cease to exist, your reason for living may end, a part of your soul may come to know in part the pit of despair, but you will still eat the next day, put on clothes, drink, and then sleep.
If the needs of the body are not met, your earthly temple will cease to exist, if the needs of the heart are not met, it will not die, and here is the need that the entire Word of God is speaking of. “My child just died,” “You still have Jesus;” My business just failed,” “You still have Jesus;” “The disaster took all we had,” “You still have Jesus.” It does little good to mourn with those who are mourning unless you can offer them hope, but it is sad to say that many who call Jesus Lord cannot see the truths of these statements, they hear only false hope, only platitudes, in their hearts they say, “How could a loving God allow…..” Why would a loving God not allow trials and tribulations to enter our lives, why would the One who loves us above all measure hold back from us sorrow and suffering, does not He who loves you the most know what is best for you?
Do you realize how simple it is to have every single need that you could possibly ever imagine met, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6) So, why aren’t your needs being met? “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:6) “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) How many verses of promise are in the Scriptures, and that was only five of them.
It is amazing to me the lack of trust that we place upon Almighty God, myself included at times, He saved my soul from eternal wrath, but He might not provide food for me today, He has set me in heavenly places, but I keep looking for Him to supply me peace of mind. This isn’t the effects only of our sinful natures my friends, this is nothing less than a lack of faith, a lack of trust, it is a sin against a Holy God who commands all creation. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1) There is the main problem, we spend the majority of our time looking at only the seen, and the rest of it overly concerned with what we cannot see.
God is easy to trust on a nice, bright sunny day with a warm breeze blowing across our face, but the moment the storm clouds appear, our characters begin to change, our faith begins to falter, we begin to doubt. The one who has died to self has little fear of the death of the flesh, its needs are easy to be met, it is the man who still fears the end of his mortal temple who will never have the one true need he has yet. He will never know the peace that passeth all understanding, (Phil.4:7) he will never experience the truth of the assurance of “He will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed,” (Deut. 31:8) he will always have a need that he believes Christ cannot or will not meet.
Here is the one need that all men have, they need to accept Jesus Christ as Lord, for if they do not the eternal consequences are too horrible to imagine. For those who know Him as Lord, those whose names are written in the Lambs Book of Life, all their needs have already been met. That is how simple it is. It is sad that many who know Him as Lord cannot seem to grasp this most basic concept, if you have Christ, you have all you need. Job had everything a man could ask for, lost everything, and found all he needed in God; he would have died a happy man on that dunghill, even if he had not received seven-fold more than what he had before.
I believe that the Lord is going to be taking away a lot of worldly things from a lot of people very soon, to sift them, to let them see just what the word “Need” really means. I pray that if He allows this to happen to you, that you will already be content in the One whom all need, and have found Him to be all they will ever need.
