Lessons From a Year Gone By #1. I’m sharing my journal from last year with you! Read all about why here.
Feeling needy, being aware that we are lacking something, can be a great thing. It can also drive us to comparison and fearfulness. I guess it depends on your perspective.
In Genesis 1, we read the story of the beginning of mankind. It’s amazing. I imagine explosions of light, the buzzing sound of the Spirit of God hovering, incredible fragrances like the freshness of earth, and clarity of color and sound unhindered by pollution. God spends six days creating, and everything is very good!
Later, in Genesis 2, we go back in time and learn a little more in depth about the circumstances of the creation of man and woman, Adam and Eve. The Lord had created Adam and all the living creatures. Genesis 2:19-20 says, “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”
But for Adam, no suitable helper was found…
In Genesis 2:18, before Adam named the animals, the Lord had already said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. He had already said that He would make a helper for him. Why do you think that He waited to create Eve? He knew Adam had a need… why did He wait to fill that need?
I believe that it is because, back to what I stated above, that feeling needy can be a great thing. God certainly could have just made Eve and given her to Adam, but instead, He positioned Adam to become aware of his need. Once Adam realized that need, the Lord took the opportunity to reveal aspects of WHO HE IS to mankind.
He became Jehovah Jireh, God is my Provider, to Adam. Instead of Adam’s experience being, “Wow, look! All the creatures have a partner, and so do I. Isn’t that nice?”, his experience of lacking something revealed God as One who is aware of our needs, One who is loving and cares when we have needs, One who is generous, and One who perfectly provides.
How will I respond when I feel needy? Will I become fearful and wonder how things will turn out? Will I look around and see that others have more than I? Or, will I say, “Lord, You must want to reveal something to me about Your character… what is it?” The more we understand about God’s character in the midst of our circumstances, the more our faith grows. Greater faith produces greater peace- peace that passes understanding.
Lord, grant me childlike expectancy!
It’s on my heart to pray for those of you who feel disappointed or abandoned by the Lord. I pray that you will experience again the presence and provision of the Lord in ways that minister to your heart. Look for Him… He hasn’t left, and He loves you fiercely.
