This question popped up in my Spirit at some point: How does God Meet Our Legitimate Needs? We don’t see Him physically, He dwells in a spiritual realm, yet, He meets our needs. How does He do it? I use the word ‘legitimate’ simply because I know a lot of folks, even believers, have illegitimate needs.

 

The Bible says in James 4:1-3: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires (needs) for pleasure that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

 

So, certain illegitimate needs are borne out of envy or jealousy in order to oppress others, here we see that God does not grant us such needs. And so, you would here believers pray such prayers as: “God bless me so that my enemies can know that you are the Almighty God.” But deep down in your heart, you know the purpose is not so that your enemies can know God is Mighty, it is so that you can oppress them with the blessing.

 

And I began to meditate on it. And in the course of the meditation, this Bible passage popped up in my Spirit and I want to share it with us; 2 Corinthians 9:8-9 (NKJV, AMP). The Bible says through the writings of the apostle Paul:

 

“And God is able (God has ability, the wherewithal, the resources) to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad; He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

 

“And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. ⁹ As it is written and forever remains written, “He [the benevolent and generous person] SCATTERED ABROAD, he gave to the POOR, HIS righteousness endures forever!”

 

There is a promise of God for you and I that every of our legitimate needs would be met. Now, why are we examining this subject matter? If God really meet our needs, how come I have so many of my needs not being met yet or attended to? The reason we are examining this is because an understanding of it will bring us into a place where we are totally and absolutely dependent on God. Let us open our Bibles to the book of Matthew 6:25-33. The Bible says:

 

“Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Food is a legitimate need. Drinking is a legitimate need. Clothing is a legitimate need. These are the things that we require to sustain our life. Without them, we may not have enough strength to go through life. Yet, Jesus said: do not worry about them. The reason is because your life is more than these things and God who gave you the life knows that you need them.

 

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” There is no one who has grown a bit taller or shorter through worrying. Worrying does not add any value to anyone’s life, rather, worrying diminishes one’s health. I read a few things about what worrying cause to one’s health, and here are the things that I discover:

 

- Heart attack

- Depression

- Insomnia (trouble sleeping)

- Suicide

- Short term memory loss

- Suppression of the immune system

- Digestive disorders

- Muscle Tension

- Rapid breathing

- Inability to concentrate

- Dizziness

- Fast heartbeat

- Headache

- Tiredness

 

These are the damages that worrying does to one’s health. Worrying devalues one’s health, it does not add anything positive to one’s life. Now Jesus said further:

 

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So, Jesus nailed the point here. He said if you are worrying, it simply shows that your faith is little. Now, Jesus didn’t say you lacked faith really, He simply said your faith is small. It is as simple as that. It simply shows that you don’t believe in God that much to meet your needs. It simply shows that you professing faith for God is not deep enough, it is on the surface. This is what worrying displays.

 

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek…” Gentiles are people who don’t share any physical and spiritual heritage with the Jews. They are non-Jewish people. But by virtue of the fact that we are Abraham’s children, we are no longer gentiles, we are Jews through Abraham’s linage. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

 

So, haven said all that, we have seen that it is in God’s plan and agenda that He will be responsible for meeting our needs. So, how does God do that? How does He meet our needs? I am going to show us!

 

How does God Meet Our Legitimate Needs?

 

Through Asking!

 

I know the first thing that crosses your mind is this: if God knows my needs, how come I need to ask Him before He gives them to me? Yes, God knows you have needs, but you must need to ask Him so that He can provide them. Jesus first showed us in Matthew 6:11 when He was teaching His disciples how to pray. It says: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Now, didn’t God know that the disciples would require food to survive on a daily basis? Of course, He knew. But Jesus told His disciples to pray in that manner. Again, in Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus speaking again said:

 

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

 

Now, when you ask God to meet your needs, it is simply a proof that you are absolutely dependent on Him alone and that you do not have alternative. The moment you begin to think you don’t need God in your affairs anymore, that is the time you start to lose the essence of your relationship with Him.

 

Through Your Liberality [Philippians 4:10-20]

 

Being liberal is one of the ways through which God meet our needs. Now, what does it mean to be liberal? According to a KJV dictionary, to be liberal simply means to: give of a free heart, to be generous, not selfish, not mean.

 

“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹² I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ¹⁴ Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. ¹⁵ Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. ¹⁸ Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

Through Act of Service [2 Corinthains 9:10-15]

 

Another way through which God meets our legitimate needs is through acts of service. Service is beyond what you do in the house of God. Much more than what people in the house of God, what you do for humanity as well is service. For example, what you do in your place of work is service. In Colossians 3:22-25, Paul admonished us as follows:

 

“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵ But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.”

 

“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. ¹² For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, ¹³ while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, ¹⁴ and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

 

Conclusion

 

God has everything that we require for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Worrying does not force the hands of God to meeting our needs and so, we don’t need it. What we simply need is faith, God’s ability to give us what we need.

Thanks for the gift of your time, We are Obayomi Abiola Benjamin and Gboyega ADEDEJI!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!