“Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer, O my God, do not delay.” (Psalm 40:17)
What do you need from God? Your answer to that question says a lot about how you think of him—and how your think of yourself. Sometimes we think of God as our safety net. Mostly we can handle life on our own; he’s just there if we get into any major trouble.
David’s view was exactly the opposite, and he was no loser. He was the powerful king of Israel. He commanded armies. He wrote music and poetry. He ruled. He was a capable guy. But how did he view God and himself?
He said, “I am poor and needy.” He saw that he needed God completely, that his only hope of success was God being God in his whole life. He begged God not to delay the next rescue, because he knew his life could not move forward without God’s good help.
Think: Do you tend to think of yourself as needing everything from God for your life to work—or just needing occasional help from him when you get stuck? What’s wrong with that second view?
Pray: Tell God that you know you need him for everything in your life, that you can’t do anything worth doing without his help. Thank him for his goodness, and ask him to help you grow more needy of him.
Do: Make a quick list of the things you don’t need God’s help with. Are you sure?