You hear people say that God can, and wants to, meet your needs. Others say he promises to do it. Someone hears that, and they go:
“Oh yeah, well what about…” and they name some things, some circumstances.
Maybe that’s a want, not a need. Maybe that’s one way you tell a need from a want (at least for me personally): if it’s unmet, it’s a want. Many years ago our refrigerator broke and I didn’t have money for another one. We used a picnic cooler for awhile. My godly friend said, “I guess you don’t need a refrigerator right now.”
But, some things are definitely needs – food, water, shelter (Jesus said, “your Father knows that you need them”) – what about that?
Could it be that in the middle of this need, there’s another need that’s more important to God, that he IS meeting, or desires to meet first, and meeting the food/water/shelter need would derail this other thing he’s doing? I don’t know about that – that’s too high for me. But I do know he says to seek first his kingdom and righteousness and the food and clothing things will be added.
He doesn’t say when or how, and it’s still his call on what a need is.
And what if he wants to meet someone’s need through me, but I’m not listening? Or don’t care? Or just say no? I think if it’s his will to meet someone’s need and I don’t listen, he’s still going to meet it. Measly me can’t stop him. I’ll just miss out when he uses someone else.
All that for this: there’s a need behind the want – at the root of the want – and when God meets that need, your ‘want to’ changes.
Maybe that’s part of what he means when he says he gives us the desires of our heart.
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