May You Go to the Lord Who Is Able to Meet Your Needs
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
The World’s (i.e., Webster’s) definitions of 3 words:
Need: lack of something
Something: some undetermined or unspecified thing.
Rich: having a lot of money or possessions
Through the continual process of mourning the loss of my mother to addictive behavior, at 36 (an age where I thought I would have “conquered this pain already!”), I went to God for comfort. He comforted me by bringing to my mind scriptures that discuss that He’s experienced the deepest of pain, and resides on the highest of heights.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.).
When we go through hard times, it’s nice to talk to a friend who has been there and who can offer us a listening ear because they have experienced the same type of pain that we are going through. Such is the case with Jesus. He has literally been to the depths of despair and overcame death on the cross, and now resides on the highest of heights. This is why it’s so comforting to go to Him because we KNOW that He knows what we are going through; it is in this knowledge and through His love that we are comforted.
After 2 days of sadness and comfort, God gave me more insight into my sadness (and into the sadness of those who seek comfort through addictive behaviors.) And let us not limit our concept of addictive behaviors to mere alcohol, but let us also consider that seeking approval from people can become addictive too, and so this will include me, and anyone else honest enough to admit they have sought and maybe been addicted to the approval from man too). He showed me those who struggle with addictions have a need, but it is in regard to an “unspecified something.” And because it is unspecified, they try various things and repeated things (a drink, hoping to impress others, etc.), but the “need” is never fully met because an unspecified something to meet a lack of “something” can’t work.
Therefore, the person keeps repeating the cycle, hoping for a different outcome, but their hope is still in a “need for something.” Further, they chase the riches of this world which is limited (in Webster’s opinion) to money and possessions.
But when the need is labeled as a pain that man/or things can’t meet, and one takes it to the Lord, they are acknowledging that only He is fully able to meet that need. You see, it is in directing all of one’s needs to the Lord that frees one from the defeated cyclic pattern that the world offers us.
New Definition of Need: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (spiritual richness is limitless in Christ).
New Definition of Riches: My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
When we define ALL our needs as needs that only God can fully meet, we don’t break them down into little somethings with no direction. In fact, “something” never even enters the equation because we give ALL of our needs to Him and He meets them for us. Fortunately, He knows what we need. We may feel we are sad and need comforting, He comforts us, but He also encourages us because He knows we need that too.
In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
When we go to people, for example, they can’t read our minds and hearts in this way. They may try, but they come up short. And they especially come up short when we can’t put words to our need in the first place. But God – He gets it: even when we don’t know what we need, the Spirit intercedes for us. This is reassuring to me because God knows what I don’t. The world offers an instant gratification such as a pacifier, a drink, a bite of chocolate, momentary approval from people, a new car, or another tangible something that feels or looks good in an instant, but that fades over time. God, on the other hand, offers us exactly what we need and gives us extra.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Isn’t this amazing?! You see, if we merely go to a piece of chocolate, or a drink, or mere people (even if they are our husband and/or our best friend, or minister), we will be left with wanting and needing more because nothing is as sufficient as Christ.
For example, if we take our imperfections to imperfect people, we will get imperfect results. Our expectation of what the other person’s response or the alcohol’s effects can offer is huge, but so is the disappointment. Please note that I am in no way suggesting that we quit going to people for comfort and support. God made us to need each other. The difference, however, is that once we realize that our major efforts have been directed at an insufficient source, we can then begin to go to God with the meat of the matter and then to people for the parsley part.
My mom, me, and many of us, we have turned to addictive behaviors (including approval of man) to meet our needs. Most of us have turned to and expected mere man to meet all of our needs, and then we’ve gone to God and wondered why it didn’t work. God wants us to go to Him first, expecting an outcome that will enable us to endure and even soar above the storm. When we go to God He is able to give us more than we ask or imagine. And since He gives us more than we needed to begin with, we become satisfied in Him! He doesn’t leave us needing more, but He does leave us with such a love, that we are attracted to the love that He offers, and we in turn, feel the need for more of Him. I believe that being addicted to the love of Christ is like a wonderful wrestling match of expectation and hope and grace amid an imperfect world.
As humans, I truly believe that every one of us will find ourselves addicted to “something.” Life can be difficult and full of trouble at times; we truly do need comfort and encouragement to endure. I, therefore, want to find myself wonderfully addicted to the love of Christ!
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.
May You go to the Lord who is able to meet (and exceed) all your Needs.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.