needs and wants
This new year I started a new plan for reading through my Bible. This plan has be read four chapters a day from various sections of scripture. I enjoy this because I am getting snippets of both the old and new testaments.
This morning a portion of my reading was from the book of Acts the third chapter. It recounts the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray. I'll recap with the words of a song I sang as a child.
Peter and John went to pray; they met a lame man on the way. He asked for alms and held out his palms, and this is what Peter did say:
"Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
He went walking and jumping and praising God, walking and jumping and praising God. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
I mentioned yesterday that I spent time with my niece. I also spent time with my nephew. As I was playing with the two of them I found myself shocked by my nephews' intellect and wisdom.
Gracie, in her sweet two year old way, has a phrase she says all the time.
"I need to have...(fill in the blank with whatever she happens to want at the moment)"
As we were playing, she noticed a block on the shelf and announce, "Linda, I need to have a block."
Daniel observed and announced, "you don't NEED to have that block, you just want it."
Bam. That was so true.
I can remember living in KY in my twenties and being pretty broke most of the time. (This has not changed a lot in my 30's...ministry is not something you do for the money.) The town I lived in had two stoplights and very few places to get supplies for life so, about once a week or so, I would trek about 30 minutes to the next county over to go to Walmart.
I remember wandering Walmart in those days and repeating to myself,
"Ok Linda, needs and wants, needs and wants."
It was important for me to separate what I actually needed for all the stuff I just simply wanted.
That is a lesson I am still working to learn, not just about stuff but about life.
That's what struck me as I read Acts 3 this morning. This beggar saw men coming and asked them to help with what he thought was his most basic need. He was a man in want of things because he had been crippled from birth. He couldn't work for a living and so he ask for money to help provide for his physical needs.
Isn't it just like the Lord to look beyond this man's human understanding of his "need" and give him what he actually needed?
Doesn't He do the same with us?
How many times have we approached the Lord and begged Him to do this or that.
"Lord I NEED this healing."
"Lord I NEED this situation fixed."
"Lord I NEED this relationship."
"Lord I NEED this job, house, promotion, (insert whatever applies)."
We beg Him for what we believe we need but the Lord sees past all that to what we truly need.
The beggar in the story thought the answer to His situation was a few measly coins. The Lord knew better and gave Him something that was FAR greater.
Just because situations in our life aren't going the direction we want them to go. Just because the Lord doesn't seem to be providing the thing we believe we need, does not mean we are being ignored. It means the Lord sees beyond and is working in His time to give us exactly the thing we need.
And sometimes it doesn't come in the way or the timing that we think it ought to, but I can assure you, it comes exactly on time. That beggar probably would have never thought to ask for healing because he had been crippled his whole life. He had probably completely given up on the thought that he would ever be able walk. In his mind a truly great miracle probably would have been someone tossing him an extra large sum of money.
It makes me think of Brother Andrew. When he was training for missions he played what he called "the game of the royal way." This consisted of taking even his most basic human needs before the Lord and trusting him to provide. Guess what, the Lord ALWAYS provided. Sometimes it came down to the wire but the needs were always met. I love what Brother Andrew says about it. He said that the needs weren't just met in a basic way but in a Kingly fashion.
The King of Heaven doesn't just give us leftovers, He gives us the best. His best.
So when your heart is weighed down and heavy by all of the "needs" you think you have, remember this, you have a Father who is a King.
He provides for His children with abundance.
He is a loving Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children.
If you think you have figured out exactly what you need, check yourself. The Lords ways are totally different than ours. I never would have thought that He would take the thing I hate the most in my life, my weight struggle, and use it for His glory, but He has assured me He plans to do just that. He seldom works the way we think He should but trust and believe, He is ALWAYS working.
It may take time, it may look different than you think, but rest assured He may never give you what you want, but He will give you exactly what you need.
And trust me...it will blow your mind.
Just ask the beggar...
This morning a portion of my reading was from the book of Acts the third chapter. It recounts the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray. I'll recap with the words of a song I sang as a child.
Peter and John went to pray; they met a lame man on the way. He asked for alms and held out his palms, and this is what Peter did say:
"Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
He went walking and jumping and praising God, walking and jumping and praising God. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
I mentioned yesterday that I spent time with my niece. I also spent time with my nephew. As I was playing with the two of them I found myself shocked by my nephews' intellect and wisdom.
Gracie, in her sweet two year old way, has a phrase she says all the time.
"I need to have...(fill in the blank with whatever she happens to want at the moment)"
As we were playing, she noticed a block on the shelf and announce, "Linda, I need to have a block."
Daniel observed and announced, "you don't NEED to have that block, you just want it."
Bam. That was so true.
I can remember living in KY in my twenties and being pretty broke most of the time. (This has not changed a lot in my 30's...ministry is not something you do for the money.) The town I lived in had two stoplights and very few places to get supplies for life so, about once a week or so, I would trek about 30 minutes to the next county over to go to Walmart.
I remember wandering Walmart in those days and repeating to myself,
"Ok Linda, needs and wants, needs and wants."
It was important for me to separate what I actually needed for all the stuff I just simply wanted.
That is a lesson I am still working to learn, not just about stuff but about life.
That's what struck me as I read Acts 3 this morning. This beggar saw men coming and asked them to help with what he thought was his most basic need. He was a man in want of things because he had been crippled from birth. He couldn't work for a living and so he ask for money to help provide for his physical needs.
Isn't it just like the Lord to look beyond this man's human understanding of his "need" and give him what he actually needed?
Doesn't He do the same with us?
How many times have we approached the Lord and begged Him to do this or that.
"Lord I NEED this healing."
"Lord I NEED this situation fixed."
"Lord I NEED this relationship."
"Lord I NEED this job, house, promotion, (insert whatever applies)."
We beg Him for what we believe we need but the Lord sees past all that to what we truly need.
The beggar in the story thought the answer to His situation was a few measly coins. The Lord knew better and gave Him something that was FAR greater.
Just because situations in our life aren't going the direction we want them to go. Just because the Lord doesn't seem to be providing the thing we believe we need, does not mean we are being ignored. It means the Lord sees beyond and is working in His time to give us exactly the thing we need.
And sometimes it doesn't come in the way or the timing that we think it ought to, but I can assure you, it comes exactly on time. That beggar probably would have never thought to ask for healing because he had been crippled his whole life. He had probably completely given up on the thought that he would ever be able walk. In his mind a truly great miracle probably would have been someone tossing him an extra large sum of money.
It makes me think of Brother Andrew. When he was training for missions he played what he called "the game of the royal way." This consisted of taking even his most basic human needs before the Lord and trusting him to provide. Guess what, the Lord ALWAYS provided. Sometimes it came down to the wire but the needs were always met. I love what Brother Andrew says about it. He said that the needs weren't just met in a basic way but in a Kingly fashion.
The King of Heaven doesn't just give us leftovers, He gives us the best. His best.
So when your heart is weighed down and heavy by all of the "needs" you think you have, remember this, you have a Father who is a King.
He provides for His children with abundance.
He is a loving Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children.
If you think you have figured out exactly what you need, check yourself. The Lords ways are totally different than ours. I never would have thought that He would take the thing I hate the most in my life, my weight struggle, and use it for His glory, but He has assured me He plans to do just that. He seldom works the way we think He should but trust and believe, He is ALWAYS working.
It may take time, it may look different than you think, but rest assured He may never give you what you want, but He will give you exactly what you need.
And trust me...it will blow your mind.
Just ask the beggar...
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