What Do You Need?

Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." I have had a variety of experiences in life where I found myself in a position of need. I know what it means to need more time. I know what it means to need more money. I know what it means to feel all alone, in need of a friend. I know the shame and agony of defeat, in need of a word of encouragement. I know what it means to be too angry and bitter to forgive while standing in the need to be forgiven myself. I know the heartbreak of being betrayed by a "friend," more desperately needing the consolation that a good friend provides. Despite the various types of needs I have had in life, my God has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I am so glad to know that it is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you and for me. The Bible is full of the testimonies of desperate men and women who put their faith, trust, and hope in God during their "times of need." Have you ever encountered a need that left you feeling desperate? The father of Hagar's thirteen year old son had given her some bread and a bottle of water before sending her and their son away (Genesis 21:14). How desperate this mother must have felt as she wandered in the wilderness long enough to run out of water! What may her thoughts have been as time passed? Did she develop bitter thoughts towards Abraham, Sarah, or God? How did the honor of being chosen as Sarah's child's surrogate mother turn into this nightmare? Did Hagar have to fight feelings of resentment towards Sarah's unborn son? Was Abraham's act of rejection godly behavior? Would God abandon her and Ishmael and let them die in this wilderness as a punishment? Hagar left her son, shaded by a shrub, and walked a distance away from him. She was convinced that they were going to die, and she did not want to have to watch her son die (Verse 16). I cannot imagine the depth of this mother's desperation. God showed them mercy and supplied their need. An angel spoke to Hagar, told her where to find water, and delivered God's message, promising to bless her son. God supplied Hagar's need, and He will supply all our need too. Look at Naomi's story of desperation in the book of Ruth. She was forced to return to her homeland in humiliation. The condition of the woman who had returned was so unlike the condition of the woman who had left that the people in the city questioned, "Is this Naomi?" Naomi probably would have preferred that the folks back home would not have to see how low her socioeconomic situation had sunk. She was too poverty-stricken to be able to hide it. She had no choice but to return home, just as she was. How embarrassed she must have felt, waiting for her daughter-in-law to return from begging for enough food to feed the two of them. Although God supplied their immediate need for food, He had an even greater plan to meet their need. By the end of Naomi's story, the women who had watched God meet Naomi's needs were blessing the Lord (Ruth 4:14). What God did for Naomi, He'll do for you, and He'll do for me. Out of money? Out of strength? Out of hope? How desperate do you have to be to have nothing else to depend upon except "faith?" According to the 5th Chapter of Mark, a certain woman had an issue of blood for twelve years. She had suffered many things of many physicians. She had spent all that she had. Not only was she not better, but rather, she grew worse. The woman turned to her faith to solve her problem. She encouraged herself, "For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole" (Mark 5:28). Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is substance. Faith is evidence. Glory to God! Jesus said to the desperate woman with the issue of blood, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole..." (Mark 5:34). It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you and for me! Encourage yourself and have faith in God despite your circumstances and your problems. Believe God's promises and stand on them by faith. If you believe that you are saved by faith according to John 3:16, you should also believe Philippians 4:19, "But my God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The blood of Jesus will never lose its power. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Encourage yourself by your faith. Turn to God's word, God's promises. What do you need? I have learned to count it joy when I find myself in need. It is exhilirating, and it refreshes my faith watching God meet my needs. Joy!

The Night Cometh

I went to bed the night of November 2, 2010 praying and asking God to choose what was best for me and my future birthdays. Among the traditional birthday phone calls from family members, I had received the news that my brother, Bruce was not expected to live through the night. My heart prayed to God and spoke to Bruce, "You choose." I spoke as I believed. "If you die on my birthday, I know that God will give that choice purpose in my life, and I will somehow be spared an emotional meltdown from the pain of spending every birthday in my future grieving," I resolved. Midnight came. I had my answer, so I went to bed. The choice was clear. Bruce would not die on my birthday. I thanked God graciously and braced myself in preparation for the "inevitable call." I did not know when it would come, but I knew that it would come. In John 9:4, Jesus spoke the words, "night cometh." Night came and went, but the morning of November 3, 2010, Bruce died. His death taught me that there is no adequate preparation for the death of a beloved one. However, nothing in life known to man comes closer to adequate preparation than having a firm faith in God's promises and faith in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus. I found new meaning in the Word of God, such as I did not think possible. My parents had six children together: five girls and one boy. Bruce was second to the oldest. He spent his entire life being the cherished "big brother." We all loved him dearly, but it was I who was indisputably his closest sibling. This became especially true over the last three decades of his life. We bonded more deeply as bold gospel messengers. I continue speaking as a lay-person. Bruce shared the gospel as an ordained Baptist preacher. We spent these decades edifying each other and testifying about the works of our God. Each observed the other as we grew in grace. The life and death process of no other individual has strengthened my walk with the Lord and increased my understanding of the power of the grace of God as did Bruce's process. The pain of grief seems unbearable. My experience forced me to ponder several questions. What do people who do not know Jesus do when they grieve? How do they survive without the blessed assurances of eternal life after death? What words exist, besides those found in God's word, which can bring comfort to those who mourn? More poignant than needing the comfort found in God's word when one is grieving, is the need for its comfort when one is himself/herself dying. The death of others has a way of bringing us face to face with thoughts of our own death. Without question, we are all dying. This is a fact. It is an undeniable universal law of nature. It is true of the sinner, as well as the saint. We cannot change this consequence of "the fall in the Garden of Eden." What we can control is our preparation for life after death, and we can control our quality of life as we await death. Whether we are prepared or not, death comes for each and every one of us at the appointed time. I wrote a book about the subject, Dying. Writing the poems comforted me beyond measure when I experienced the most painful mourning season of my life, when Night came for Bruce. I wrote the poems to comfort myself. The poems were divinely inspired and ministered to my grieving soul. I share them with the hope that they will bring the same comfort to others. (Access the poems at poemsforthedying.blogspot.com). Jesus provides us eternal life after death. Be prepared and prepare others, for...The Night Cometh. Joy!