The Upside of Need

I have a friend who says, “Anything that makes you need God is a blessing.” While I wholeheartedly agree with the statement, continual neediness doesn’t feel like an advantage!  It often feels precarious, risky, and uncomfortable. As we plant a new church, our need is acute. 

Thankfully, I am reading through the Bible with Paul Tripp’s book, Everyday Gospel. This week, we started the book of Acts, and the Lord began to show me a man who was in great need. In Acts 3:1-16, Peter and John come into the temple and are asked by an older man who has been crippled since birth for money. Instead of money, Peter, through the Spirit, gives healing. This captures everyone’s attention, and people start asking how this happened. Peter tells them, this man was made strong by faith in the name of Jesus. (Acts 3:16)

What do you tend to think of people that you see holding signs on the side of the road asking for money? An honest answer would reveal that our hearts judge. We look down on homeless beggars. As we judge today, this man was being considered through a much harsher lens. In biblical times, any physical weakness was seen as stemming from personal sin or the sin of one's parents. He and others have not seen his weakness as a blessing, but rather as a curse. He is in an extremely low place in life and has been there for over 40 years.

But God has a plan! Peter graciously steps in, and by the power of the Spirit, the man is healed. The phrase, This man was made strong by faith in Jesus resonated with me. What would that look like, Lord, to be so needy yet made strong by faith in you? I decided to list my needs and who I know God to be.

Father, prices are increasing while our income is decreasing. - You are our Provider.

The Lord will provide. Genesis 22:14

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

God is and has been providing for us all, every day of our lives. He is a generous God. He sees. He knows what we need. It feels scary to me, but I can trust you.

Father, I’m disappointed that our new church plant isn't growing faster. You are the One who builds your church.

I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47

All churches are a work of God! I remember believing that with every fiber of my being after we planted Gospel City Church. The process was never easy, and it wasn’t built on my timing, but His.

Father, this season is complex and confusing.- You are Sovereign

It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. Acts 1:7

As a human, I lean into the false illusion that I know what is going on. I don’t! There is only One who knows and understands all. Because He is good, loving, and sovereign, I can trust Him at all times, especially when I can’t see and don’t understand. 

As I ended my list, one word echoed in my mind: Faithful. God is so faithful! It’s my favorite descriptive word for God and has been for a long time. I just tend to forget and need the reminders in His word every day. I have seen God’s faithfulness as my Good Shepherd, who gently and patiently leads me. He has been and is my Rock when life is unsteady. He is a constant Savior for this needy sinner. He is the Lifter of my Head when my head is hanging in discouragement. My neediness drives me to seek Him. My neediness draws Him to me, never away.

I guess that's what my friend means when she says, “Anything that makes me need God is a blessing.” God used the story of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate to see my neediness as the treasure that it is. And because He is Faithful, God will continue to meet me in my need and remind me of the truth.