Neediness Nudges

Today I need.

I was thinking all day long about the fact that it is good to know that we need the help of our Savior, isn’t it?  And yet, I continue to have things come up in which I realize I am not relying upon Him to meet those needs like I should.

It’s so difficult to remember that we are always in need! The enemy, working through just our personality, circumstances, or messaging from the world, can often deceive us into thinking that we are okay – that we don’t need any help – and that in fact, self-sufficiency is what we should strive for in life. Lies!

I like freedom – but I have come to realize that a need to feel in control is not only an illusion in regard to liberty and freedom, but a very deceitful ruse as well.  It’s a deadly trap. It’s an ambush. Self-reliance is not true freedom at all. It’s utter slavery.

We can fall into this web of lies so easily, and I will be the first to admit that I struggle immensely in this area. Sometimes, if I really look to the root of it, I start to become self-sufficient out of fear. Other times, it’s due to an underlying pride of sorts, a false idol of it’s very own! And then there’s just plain selfishness. That ugly, icky, dirty selfishness. I guess that’s not too “plain.” But all of it is then laced up and covered with a nice little layer of “goodness” on top. That’s what makes it so deceptive – it’s just a pretty little weed.

The moment we forget our need for Jesus, we are beginning to spiral out of control whether we recognize it or not. Isn’t it ironic that the more self-sufficient we think that we are, the more deep (up to our necks, actually) in need we truly are? By the time we do figure it all out, we are in danger of drowning. And this happens over and over again. Sometimes, I figure out the trickery that has been going on in one area, only to find there are three others that have piggybacked right on top of the original one. It’s exhausting!

But, lest you think I am in a mode of self-condemnation, fear not, my dear friends. I realize that, thankfully, and ever-so graciously, the Lord can handle things for me if I can simply remember to surrender – daily. Second by second. I am asking for His help with this, because I clearly do not have a good memory. 🙂

See, He wants to be there for us from the very beginning – to lean upon, to help, to guide and direct, to answer, and to fulfill. He wants for us to realize that we need him all of the time, not just when we perceive troubled waters and storms on the way. So often in life, I have waited until I am in the middle of the hurricane before I even think to call upon Him. You would think I would learn my lesson from these near death experiences, but stubbornness and sin breeds more, well…….. stubborn sin! But even when I mess up, and don’t call as I should have right away, He is there for me – every single time.

So, neediness nudges us closer to Jesus doesn’t it? I often wish I could manage to truly remember my need without having to be reminded through stupid mistakes and things that show up to reflect my lack of faith. But then, that’s just me trying again to be something that I am not – not on my own, at least.

Today I need. And today I know it. Today, I remember. And I am thankful for the nudge.

Guess what else? We are being nudged closer and closer to that day, friends of mine; that glorious day when we don’t have so many wimpy, shallow little needs. That day when we will see no more weeping,  no more crying, no more shame or violence or hatred. That day when we will not battle with the mind and the flesh. That day where we will get to live within His presence and light constantly, never overshadowed by the sin of self-sufficiency or anything else for that matter. That day where we only will be focused upon basking within His light and love, not the muck and quicksand of self  here on this earth. It will all be about worship, of Him, our One and Only, the Mighty One. Great is the Lord!

I guess, if we really think about it, every breath we take moves us one step closer to that glorious day – the one that will last forever and evermore. That’s why Jesus did what He did for us – to give us the Blessed Hope – that we will reign with Him in His kingdom forever and ever some day! I can’t wait.

Let’s wallow in that promise instead of the muck and mire of self, shall we? Let’s listen and wait upon the Lord and revel in the nudges when we feel them within us. Let’s embrace our need for a Savior, and look forward with delight to that day in which we can continue to sing His praises, rest in His ever-present light and warm arms, and never, ever, need nudging again.

For today, I still need.

How about you?

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16: 23-24

 

All Images in this Post Used with Permission from Microsoft Office

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