God Knows What We Need

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In life, we always ask a lot of things. Whether it’s the things that we want or the things that we actually need. The important thing is actually the latter rather the former. In today’s service, God teaches us that He knew what we need, and how He helped us.

Matthew 37-38

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Here is a scene before God was arrested and then crucified to atone our sins. He isn’t afraid but in this verse, He wants to teach us that in our sorrow, in our suffering we need a friend. We need someone to accompany us. For example, if we are sick and if our friends come to visit us. It’s not the things that they brought that make us happy, it’s their presence and us chatting with them. The couple of verse after this one shows that even when God asked them to accompany Him, they or in some cases, we, failed his trust to do so.

Genesis 26:29-33

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” 31 Jacob replied, “First, sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

This is a famous verse where Jacob earns his brother birthright but also it pictures something different. In this scene, Esau(pictured as us) needs something, and he even said that he could die if he didn’t get it. Yet, Jacob(people/friends) used our needs and took advantage of it to gain something for himself. This happens quite a lot in real life, where when someone needs something, say farmers in the villages, the loan shark took advantage of it and put out crazy interest. So make sure you share your problems to the right person, beware/be careful that someone can do it to you, except God.

Exodus 17:10-13

10Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. 11The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them. 12Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. 13That’s how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.

Sometimes we want something or we need something. People knew it, but they don’t really know what we really need. For example, we love shoes, but what if your friends gave you shoes that are too big for you or too small. That doesn’t fulfill your needs right? This verse shows us that Aaron and Hur helps Moses, and they understand what he needs, and in the end everyone is happy because Joshua won the war. If there’s no Aaron and Hur, everyone would be defeated instead.

1 Kings 19:3-8

3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

God understands what Elijah needs. He was afraid, he was hungry, he doesn’t have any strength anymore to continue. God made something impossible happen for him, he is served by bread and a jar of water, two of things that are definitely didn’t came from this world because it is impossible for humans to have those in the middle of a desert. And what happened after? He traveled 40 days and 40 nights. HE understand what WE need, and HE fulfills it so WE can continue our life, and even greater one each time.

John 20:19-20

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

God’s disciples were afraid that time and NO ONE can save them. No one can provides safety, or something to beat the afraidness in them. Then, God shows up, He knows that they are in fear, they don’t have someone to rely on. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. So are we when He fulfilled our needs. We will feel overjoyed!

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus

And HE will fulfill/meet ALL of our NEEDS. When or where can you find someone that says that to you? He is the one that is able to do that. Knowing what our needs are, meeting them in a right moment and in a right place, without mocking us or taking advantage of our needs. God knew what we need, and He is there for you every time, because He has all the things that we need and in Jesus we trust.

This is a summary from Handoyo Santoso service from Gereja Kemah Tabernakel – 12th February 2012