Devotional

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” —Matthew 5:42 

 

 Telling the truth, even to the point of revealing your needs, is a virtue. 

 It’s a natural human tendency to keep “neediness” hidden. We often don’t want friends and family to know that we need anything at all. 

 But at its core, that’s pride. We actually want others to think of us as better — more self-sufficient, of higher quality — than we really are. 

 It’s a fruitless route to take. “For whoever exalts himself,” Jesus says in Matthew 23:12, “will be humbled.” 

 But if we’re willing to make ourselves transparent and vulnerable, we may be surprised to find that God provides … because “Whoever humbles himself,” Jesus goes on to say, “will be exalted.” 

 The spiritual exercise of revealing one’s own neediness is marvelously intertwined with the spiritual exercise of giving. God has designed people to give to each other, and He cleverly promotes this design — by meeting one’s needs through another’s giving.  

 Giving cultivates relationships, and relationships are the heart of the biblical concept of community. God’s great goal for His people here on earth is that we will “be one” (John 17:20-21) — which is a picture of community — relationships in action. A system of giving to meet one another’s needs fosters those community-building relationships! 

 All of which tells us that other people’s support for us, in our time of need, is not only good for us, but also good for them.  

 It would be bliss to go through life without a problem, a setback, or a crisis. But it wouldn’t be real life. Problems will happen — yet even a crisis can become a blessing.  

 “I’m hurting.”  

“I’m confused.”  

“I’m short of funds.”  

“I’m struggling.”  

 Say what’s actually happening — good and bad alike — and see how God inspires people to step up. You may actually be surprised and pleased by the results. 

 

 My prayer this week: Dear Lord, I don’t really want to admit my neediness. I don’t want people to see me as I am. But since I don’t do this naturally, help me to do it supernaturally. Give me divine courage to reveal the truth about myself to those around me. Then provide for me, through them — and vice versa. Thank you, God!