He Meets the Needs

Hi mommies!  Isn't it interesting to ponder the difference between our "wants" and our "needs"?  My son is in a stage of saying that he neeeeeeeeds everything (yes, it sounds just like that!).  He neeeds a snack, he neeeds a train, he neeeds the "hi-pad," he neeeds to run, and on and on and on :-)  Truthfully, he doesn't neeed any of those things.  He wants them.  How often do we say that we neeed something? Are we setting the right example for our children as we flippantly discuss what we need in our lives?  I am the worst at this.  I use "want" and "need" interchangeably.  But, they are so incredibly different.  Look at this verse...

"And my God will meet your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

~Philippians 4:19~

Here is the revelation that God gave me this morning...if I don't have it right now, I don't need it.  And, furthermore, I know that I have plenty of stuff that I don't need.  God knows my true needs far better than I do.  God knows what needs must be met in my life before I've even realized there was a void.  Now don't get me wrong...I don't believe this verse gives us a license to be irresponsible.  If we know that our car will need new tires this winter, and we have the means now to solve that situation, then we should budget and schedule to make that need a reality.  But, if we obsessively worry about where the money will come from to put the new tires on the car this winter, that isn't giving our need over to the Lord.  Yes, our amazing God of the universe cares about our tire situations!

In my walk with the Lord, I have learned that our heavenly Father is far more interested in building our personal faith day-by-day, than in setting up a nice cushy safety net for us.  For those of us who are planners, this may seem somewhat cruel.  He isn't cruel at all.  Our God of Love is simply teaching us that our faith and hope can only be placed in Him.  It can't be placed in ourselves, in others, in finances, in security, or in anything else you could name.  The fact that He knows our needs and that the above verse promises that He will meet them in His timing should actually be quite comforting!  I now have the freedom to not worry about a thing.  If I need it, He will provide it.  If I want it, He may give it as a blessing, or He may not.  That is up to Him, our sovereign God.

I love when He meets a need before we knew that we had it.  For instance, He knew that the terrible twos would run rampant throughout my home as I was sicker than a dog with my second pregnancy.  There are days I have felt absolutely desperate for a break and for some relief from the chaos.  As I was praying over what book my moms group would study this Fall semester, a sweet friend of mine offered this suggestion...

Seriously?!  I had never heard of this book, but as soon as she said it, I knew I needed to read it.  And now, I am privileged to lead the precious group of mommies in my group through the fantastic words of wisdom contained in these pages about motherhood.  I could not have hand picked a better book for me and for the women in our study during this particular season.  Thank you, Jesus, for providing something I needed, before I even knew to ask.  If you are having a desperate season of motherhood, I wholeheartedly recommend this read.  It will be well worth your time :-)

Because His Word says it, trust that the Lord will provide for your every need.  Let's not get our "wants" and "needs" confused, but let's do make sure to thank Him for always providing for our every need...even those we didn't know we had.  Until next time...