I Need Him

"As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God."

Psalm 42:1 ESV

Animals instinctively know their need for water and food.  They were created to go after the things that sustain life.  Even in the African wilds where water is scarce and predators are plentiful, wildebeests will risk everything for a sip of the life-giving fluid found in the crocodile infested river.  They know without water they will die, so they take the risk despite their intuition that tells them to flee.  Preservation of life is a primal drive they cannot ignore.

Does my heart yearn for Jesus as much as this wildebeest knows of his need for water?  The older I grow and the more rocky roads I've traveled, the greater is my understanding of my need for Him.  Without Him, I am nothing.

Grace.  Sometimes, I become aware of my heart beating within my chest and my lungs drawing in oxygen from the air around me.  I marvel at the way God put my body together, giving it the mechanisms needed to sustain these vital functions.  Even more astounding is the fact that each breath I take is not only an involuntary process but also a gift from my Creator.  Without His grace, I would not receive the next moment of life.

Unfortunately, I have spent most of my life taking it for granted.  I counted on the fact that I would wake up in the morning and that I would see tomorrow.  In reality, my life is completely in God's hands and I'm at His mercy.  In the hands of a cruel and heartless dictator-god, this would be a scary thought.  But under the control of a loving, generous and forgiving God, I can rest easy, knowing I am secure. (Psalm 91)

Oswald Chambers understood our reliance on God's grace for our very lives when he offered this gentle reminder.   "Don't forget to pray today because God did not forget to wake you up this morning."

I need Him for the very life I often take for granted.

Empowerment.  I am married to a military man with a can-do attitude.  Whatever needs to be done, he has the innate confidence that he can carry it out, accomplishing necessary tasks with gusto.  As a result, it's easy for me to watch him work and think I can do the same by adopting a similar viewpoint.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.

I am limited in my abilities, aptitudes and skills.  For example, if I resolve to respond patiently in my interactions with my family, I may truly desire to accomplish this goal and may have every intention to carry it out.  I can pepper my home with positive quotes and place reminders in plain view to help me remember my aspiration.  Unfortunately, I am not equipped to respond with patience;  my sin nature simply does not allow it.  I may do well for a time, but something will happen to set me off and every good intention flies out the window.  Then I feel like a failure and pick myself up and try again.

This is where my need for Jesus comes in.  I need His indwelling Spirit to empower me to do what goes against my sin nature.  Only by surrendering to Him and cooperating with His supernatural power working within me will I be able to respond in patience.  It's not really me, then, but Christ that lives within me producing fruit; a natural extension of letting Him have His way in that moment. (Galatians 2:20-21,  5:22-23)

I need Him in order to live the holy life I'm called to live. (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Righteousness.  We all have it.  Some realize it and seek to satisfy it's yearning.  Others ignore the pull, spending their whole lives attempting to cover it up.  God placed within us a desire to live in relationship with Him.

In today's culture I often hear the message that there are many ways to find spiritual fulfillment.  Many profess to a belief in prayer and of a higher power of some kind, innately knowing there has got to be more to life than just what they can see.  This being that they picture in their mind as god is all-accepting and welcoming of their attempts to reach him.  Unfortunately, the missing piece to the puzzle they are trying to fit together is sin.  Sin separates me from the One who made me and the Only One who can truly fill that empty hole in my heart.

Therefore, the only way to get to God is through Jesus and by accepting His redemptive, sacrificial work on the cross freely given on my behalf. (John 14:6)  Without Jesus, I am unable to enter into a relationship with such a holy God who loves me enough to have sent His own precious Son to fix my sin problem. (Romans 3:23) Without Jesus, then, my life is devoid of meaning and purpose as I attempt to live estranged from the One who holds the blueprint of my life in His hands.  (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

I need Him to repair the chasm that my sin created between God and me.

I need Jesus more and more each day, for many more reasons than can be notated here.  He supplies each breath I take, gives me the ability to live as I'm called to live, and makes me right with God.  I truly need Him every moment and for every purpose. Therefore, as I live out my faith this day, may I always keep my need for Him in mind.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let go of my belief that I can do anything of eternal value in my own strength.

How do I rely too much on my willpower instead of on God's power?

When am I most at risk of forgetting my reliance on Him?