Wanting Need and Needing Want

Want to receive my monthly prayer letter by email? Subscribe with the link to the right!

“I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.”

We often don’t want God, but we do need Him.

God doesn’t need us, but He does want us.

We need God at all times – every hour, minute, second. We know that, but do we live that? We wouldn’t say it, but we often live like we don’t really want Him. We can relate to Paul in that we know the good we ought to do, but still choose to do the opposite (Rom 7:15). We may even tell God that His will or desire can wait until we’re done with our fun. We’re saying we don’t really want Him – we just want ourselves. 

Sooner or later, though, we remember that we desperately need Him – a lot of times when we are reaping the pain that we planted for ourselves. I don’t know how many times you’ve crawled back, but I often wonder why He still forgives, accepts, loves and blesses. Then I remember how His grace works – it increases when our evil does (Rom 5:20) and it is sufficient for us in pain that doesn’t go away (2 Cor 12:7-9).

When He created us, it wasn't because He needed us, because He doesn’t need anything (Acts 17:25). He was doing perfectly before we came along – having community to perfection within His three-person self from eternity past. He has always wanted us bad - bad enough that His sacrifice was worth it to Him. His love-gift is unearned, but He wants our lives, wills and desires sacrificed to Him (Rom 12:1). This is how He is worshipped and adored – and that’s the whole point of all of this.

So our little (in comparison) sacrifices are WELL worth it, but I’m praying that we truly feel that and live that. I pray that I want Him daily. I pray that I live in the reality that I need Him and He wants me.