The Need... For Need

 

Needing help can be a scary feeling.

The world is full of flakes and backstabbers, and making ourselves vulnerable is often met with disappointment at best.

But God’s not like that.

Our need is a powerful tool.

I remember reading about Jesus after he heard about his cousin dying. His cousin was the only person on earth who could begin to fathom Jesus’ anointing, the only one Jesus could almost relate to.

John the Baptist so understood Jesus’ wild life, this wild man living off locusts and honey and exposing the prominent men of his generation. He was the few of his generation who could tell everyone about who Jesus truly was. Peter glimpsed it–miraculously–and Jesus commended him.

“This has been revealed to you by my Father,” Jesus told him.

But now this wild man, this spiritual giant, this one possible comrade of Jesus, had been brutally butchered.

In the midst of everything else going on, Jesus retreated to the wilderness with his disciples. I’m sure He was grieving. He yearned to get away from everything, from the crowds.

But the crowds wouldn’t let him be.

For me, it just seems incredibly insensitive.

How dumb and selfish were these people?

Jesus was giving everything. He was laying it all out there. He just found out his cousin had died.

Let Jesus be. Give Him some space.

But, no.

They wanted this. They wanted that.

But my thoughts are not His thoughts, nor are His ways my ways.

What if those needy babies hadn’t stalked Jesus down?

Jesus wouldn’t have had the opportunity to respond.

He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to let His compassion to be stirred for these “sheep without a shepherd”. He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to lay down His life.

We wouldn’t have the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000.

God doesn’t see “need” the way we so often see “need”. God needs us to need Him.

Our need is a powerful drawing agent for His compassion and power to work.

I started a business a few years ago. My first day of business, I spent hours and hours preparing to be ready for it.

A friend offered to help me that first day, but I reacted to his offer.

What kind of baby did he think he was?

I was a full-grown man. I’m sure I could figure this out.

I felt he was insinuating I was a loser.

Like I wasn’t capable enough to pull it off.

To get down to the heart of it, I felt as though people would lose respect for me. They would think much less of me.

“Oh, John just couldn’t put it together on his own. I figured that child would need a hand.”

I felt my friend was saying he was better than me. More capable. Smarter.

But as I reacted, I felt a still, small Voice prick my heart.

“John, what are you doing? Don’t you realize how miraculous it is that your friend offered to help? Don’t you know how unique it is that he would care that much?”

But years of feeling disrespected bubbled to the surface as I respond to the Lord.

“Yes, but I don’t need coddled. I don’t need someone to hold my hand. People seem to think I can’t do anything for myself at times.”

“What if this has nothing to do with your ego?” I felt the Holy Spirit continue to prick my own spirit.

“What if this has something to do with your friend? Do you know how much this act of care could give your friend?”

I had not seen it that way.

“Why can’t you clear the pride out of your ears to hear my leading in this?” I felt the Holy Spirit ask.

I let it go then. I humbled myself and told my friend I’d be grateful for his help. Truthfully, I don’t know how I would’ve managed that first day without him.

Once I watched a friend of mine struggling on a project.

He had a lot of people who were willing to help him on the project, but he struggled to ask for help, much like me.

Finally, I watched as he made himself vulnerable, how everyone showed up to help.

It was more than just nice humans.

It was something God was wanting to give my friend, to show him something.

As we gathered to help him, I watched how I started interacting with people I would normally never interact with.

These were people anointed by God, walking with God, and because my friend chose to ask, I got an opportunity to have conversations and experiences with people I normally wouldn’t.

I totally get why he didn’t want to ask. Obviously, I still have those same feelings that come and check me out when asking for help.

It’s not my favorite thing in the world.

But I have watched, over and over again, how useful need is.

God put us at a severe disadvantage for being superheroes.

If we go for a few days without water, we’ll die. If we go without food for awhile, we’ll die.

I don’t care if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Or even Chuck Norris.

We were created vulnerable. We were created to need.

That’s because God needs us to need Him so He can reveal Himself in our lives. That’s how He designed it.

Once that fact is ingrained into our hearts, we won’t have to fight our vulnerability or resist help. It’ll make our lives much easier.

It’s not something to run from or be scared of.

We don’t have to be tough. We don’t have to have all the answers.

Truly believing that can be a huge relief.