I need…

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

As each new year is set to begin, I often spend the weeks leading up to it in quiet communion with God, seeking His face and awaiting His response for what He desires to be my focus of the year. Usually, I ask Him for a specific word or theme, as well as spiritual goals for the coming year. Sometimes, I do this around my birthday–it really just depends on what the current state of my life resembles. Back in December, I began asking Him these things, fully expecting Him to faithfully show me, and He did. With much confidence, I know that God placed a few things on my heart for this year. The two central themes were the word “contentment” and the phrase “wait on the Lord.” Both so very counter-cultural. Contentment is the antithesis of the messages our society screams at us. Rather, they shout that happiness and satisfaction can only be found when we have amassed more wealth than we can spend, when we have more letters behind our name rather than in them, when we have successful careers, when our children are the smartest, most athletic, top of their class, and when our homes and cars cost more than our peers. And waiting? Ha–do Americans wait for anything anymore? We expect next day delivery at no extra cost (thank you, Amazon prime!). We don’t like to wait for our food, to wait at stop lights (speaking to myself the loudest on this one here!), or to wait for people to return our call, email, or text. Thus, I knew this year would bring with it ample opportunity to study these concepts in Scripture and apply them to my every day life.

So it was that I found myself studying contentment, and in my quiet time one day recently, I journaled the phrase “I need ________.” Fill in the blank. I was challenged to sketch a box with two columns outlining on one side my needs and on the other how God provides. I was stumped. I sat there, staring at that sentence and asked myself, how would I respond if someone posed to me that statement and told me to fill in my need on the blank. I quickly outlined the physical needs I have for food, shelter, clothing, etc. I added to the list love, security, friends. I easily listed the countless ways God has met these needs in my life through the unconditional love of Jesus, the love of my husband, my children, my family, through my close friends, through the assurance that Jesus would never leave me or forsake me. I turned the page of my journal and sat there, staring at it and repeating the question to myself, “What do I need? What do I need?” I found that if the question were to add the words “to do” at the end of it, then my list would surely be endless because, after all, isn’t there always something more, something else we feel like we need to do? But that was not the question before me. I need…

“I need Jesus. I need a purpose. I need to know if writing is God’s purpose for me. I need to release the reins. I need to surrender control. I need to trust God. I need to matter. I need to not feel invisible. I need to be a good mom.”

Jesus is what, is who I need. As our Scripture points out, God will supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. Yes, I have Jesus. I ever only need more of Him, day after day. God WILL supply all of our needs. He whispers to my heart that I have a purpose, that I am seen and loved by Him. He promises me that He is trustworthy and says it is okay to let go and let Him have the reins of my life. He is faithful to equip me to be the mother my children need, not the one I wish I was. He has given me everything I need to be their mother. When we pare down the differences between wants and needs, it is rather eye-opening and much easier to be content with what we have because God has said He will never leave us or forsake us. As I outlined my needs to God, He continued to reveal to me how He has met my needs in the past, and He gently urged me to dig deeper in my heart and continue to peel back all the layers and present Him with my greatest needs–the ones I don’t share with anyone but Him. I eagerly await His provision and watch Him as He works.

Today, what would you place in that blank space? “I need…” What is it that you need to identify to God and then allow Him to meet that need? How has He already met your needs? I encourage you today to boldly present God with your needs, all of them, then wait for Him and watch how He faithfully supplies all of them. Take note of the ways He has provided in the past and keep a record of how He is supplying even the ones you have yet to bring to Him. Then praise Him! Our minds cannot begin to fathom what He has prepared for us. Be thankful! Be content! Wait on the Lord! Then share with others what God is doing and has done for you!

Be blessed,

Dawn