Need presents an opportunity for humility. When a person lacks in any given area, he may react and try to fill that need on his own, which may include acts of desperation. Another option would be to humble himself and ask for help. If people refuse to humble themselves when the need arises, they may find solutions that actually lead to more problems to solve. By trying to help themselves they can actually place themselves in desperate situations. In short, they can start out bad and end up even worse because their pride was their counselor. When people refuse to put things in God’s hand and place them in their own, they are already in trouble. The book of James makes it clear that that our starting point is God: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5, KJV). When we humble ourselves before Him, He is free to make whatever provision is necessary.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths (KJV). A very important thing to remember is that we cannot rely on our own understanding if we are going to gain from God’s understanding. There are times His solutions seem counterintuitive to our circumstances; nonetheless, He knows the end even before the beginning. He sees what lies ahead; do you? Often, our reality is upside down in comparison to His. For example, a person may lack financially. The first natural inclination would be to hold on to what a person has and somehow get more money by whatever means; but, the Lord may say, “Give out of your lack.” Reason says, “Once it’s gone, it is gone.” Kingdom says, “Give and it shall be given to you.” How many testimonies have we heard from those who gave and found their needs met?
When we ask God for wisdom, He may lead us to others who may have the solution. This presents an opportunity to kill self-reliance, which is born of pride. Sometimes it is easier to keep things “between God and me,” than to involve another. God’s solutions are often multifaceted. Meaning, He has more than one reason for what He leads us to do. While we might look to fill our need, He may be looking to use someone’s talents so He may be able to bless him or her in the process. He may use the situation to heal a strained relationship. In this case, it enables another the chance to extend mercy and receive healing as a result. Our Father is a Good Dad Who knows what His children need. His solutions to our circumstance are far reaching, and remedy more than one problem in a single move, even if it only prevents us from creating more problems.
Our inexperience can be a tool in the Master’s hand to shape us into mature sons and daughters. It may help us learn to honor one another properly. One example of this is that in a number of cultures, young people know how to honor their elders. Unfortunately, in other cultures, the youth have come to despise the aged. They fail to recognize that those who have lived long lives have valuable experiences beyond their own short lives. At the same time, when the younger go to the elder, they enrich the elder because it shows they are relevant in today’s society. While we are not designed to be needy, we are designed to need others and to be needed. When people feel unneeded or unwanted, they lose purpose for living. Those who seek to find their own solutions tend to take and hurt others in the process. When we reject other people’s help, we hinder their blessing from God. Nonetheless, God will open other doors to the willing, while closing doors to those who are not!
