by David Scott Robertson
Have you ever wondered who needs God the most?
Is it the man on death row or the child sitting in her 4th grade classroom?
Is it the satanic high priest or the charismatic preacher?
Is it the compulsive gambler or the Sunday School teacher?
Is it the child molester or the sexually abused child?
Is it the man with AIDS or the Olympic gold medallist?
Is it the bus driver or the corporate executive?
Is it the president of the country or its lowliest citizen?
Is it you or is it me?
Have you ever wondered who needs God the most? I'm going to take a guess at who needs God the most...we all do; desperately.
No matter who you are, where you live, what your education or income level is or is not; whether you're homeless or own your own home, you need God the most.
No one in all creation needs God more than you do. But then again, no one in all creation needs God any less than you do. It doesn't matter how "secure" you are financially, how independently wealthy you may be, apart from God we are all poor and blind and naked.
Speaking for myself, I will tell you that there was a time in my life that I couldn't even breathe properly without God (I used to inhale harmful, toxic gas through smoking). I couldn't eat properly without God (I used to be a glutton and love junk food). I couldn't have proper relationships without God (I used to indulge in sinful activities with other people). I couldn't have a proper outlook on life (I used to have a bad attitude, no goals, no real direction other than to try to please myself continually). I used to live a very undisciplined life. I didn't eat responsibly, drink responsibly, think responsibly. I needed God to calibrate my life and set it in balance. At one time I was lost and undone without God or His Son.
The truth for you and for me is that at any given moment, we are but a step away from death; a heartbeat away from finishing out our lifespan, for it is God who keeps our hearts pumping blood from one beat to the next. You and I cannot survive, let alone succeed, in life without God.
There was a season in my life where I tried to live independently from my Creator. The pitiful result? Vanity - hopelessness - futility - emptiness - pain - (needless) suffering.
I discovered that apart from the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ the only thing I could make out of my life was a mess. I discovered that at any given time I was just one bad decision away from calamity and destruction and the consequences of my sin.
The conclusion of this whole matter of who needs God the most, in my view, is this:
We all need God the most. Every single human being needs God just as much as anybody else. We are all hopelessly lost without Him and only made complete through Him. Once again the scripture is proved right in the real world context:
"…in Him (God) we live and move and have our being…" (Acts 17:26)
Wherever you happen to find yourself on this planet and whatever condition you happen to be in at this present moment, know this: it is not fate, luck, or chance that has put you there. As Rick Warren writes about so capably in his excellent book, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE: You were planned for God's pleaure (Revelation 4:11); You were formed for God's family (1 John 3:1); you were created to become like Christ (Colossians 2:7); you were shaped for serving God (Ephesians 2:10), and you were made for a mission (Acts 20:24).
Acknowledging your need for God is the first step towards responding to His gracious invitation to be His child and allow Him to meet your needs (Phillipians 4:19) and grant you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).
My encouragement to you today is to right now ask the Lord Jesus Christ to supernaturally place in your spirit a heightened awareness of your great need for God. While it is true that we have a great need for Christ, it is equally true that we have a great Christ for our need.
DSR
9/27/04