"If I give it all to You, will You make it all new? If I open up my hands, will You fill them again?" -Will Reagan & United Pursuit's 'If I Give It All'
I live in a world of technology. I don't think it's a secret. America is often at the forefront of technology from the major standpoint of the major population. While other countries have more technology here or there, the general public of America is ridiculously advanced. And it has never been more painfully obvious in my life than it is now. Than it has been while I have spent my time here in India over these past three months.
Now I'm not in any way going to rant about how evil and corrupt technology has made us or anything of the sort. I love technology. I'm typing this blog for the internet on my laptop lol it would be hypocritical of me to do something of the sort. But what I do want to write about is necessity. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, especially in the context of the last two weeks.
A team of eight people from Vancouver and Seattle, WA came to India on Dec 28 with the intention of building a basketball court for the ministry I am working with. This team ranged from a 16 year-old to a 63 year-old, from high school students to a pastor to a real estate agent. They are all in very different walks of life, dealing with very different issues in their homes, at their schools and/or workplaces, and have very different outlooks on certain things. Some had health issues, some were not all mentally here, some were more prepared than others. You get the idea. But what they did have in common was a desire to leave everything that knew, their homes, their lives, their comfort, to come to a common goal halfway around the world. They wanted to see a basketball/multi-sports court built at the second of two orphanages at this ministry in the last two years.
Why a basketball court? What can that do? For those of you who have experience playing sports, I'm sure you can attest to the many incredible opportunities sports can bring. But amidst the many many reasons that I could list off, only one is needed. The smile of a child playing. That's why we build a basketball court. If this court were built for two kids who never see each other on the same place in society to be able to play with one another, it would be enough. We sought to provide that for 50+ kids! And so we embarked together with this incredible task and idea. Through the process there were arguments, disappointments, tons of laughter, surprises, lots and lots of work, and finally the beautiful sound of children bouncing balls on a court they could call their own.
And through this entire process, I was forced with to face the reality of necessity. I have found myself praying that I would need God. This seems like an almost "duh" prayer, that it's like praying for the whole point. My response is-exactly. It is the point. The whole point. And I want it. I want to need God in everything I am, in everything I do. I don't ever want to feel like I don't need God, even in the 'little' things. But I have realized that I far too often replace God with the comforts that He has provided for me. It's like I have eagerly received His wonderful gifts with selfish and ungrateful hands. And God has really convicted me of this. He has reminded me that He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, that all that I have has come from Him, and in the end will mean nothing next to the eternity spent with Him, sharing in glory and praise for all days. He has reminded me that I "need" nothing but Him. That He will provide for me. Over and over again, He reminds His people, the Israelites this same message, and they continue to screw it up. I almost scoff at them as I read about their unfaithfulness. Then God gives me this same reminder, and all of the sudden I am one of these unfaithful Israelites that God just won't let go of. It reminds me that they were human, that I am human, and that God is God. And I will never not need Him. I will never need anything other than Him. I may have wants galore, but needs are non-existent. Needs implies that there are more things than one. But I do not need anything aside from Him. That's it.
One of my favorite United Pursuit songs is If I Gave It All. It has two incredible questions of faith in it. The singer asks "If I give it all to You, will You make it all new?" and "If I open up my hands, will You fill them again?" These are the cries of a heart that desires to need only God. They are not questions of the unfaithful, but of the heart that is realizing this is what is desired of us. I want to be able to give all things to God, because He desires and promises to make it all new. I want to open up my tight grips of fear and uncertainty so the God would fill them again.
Father God, I want to need you. I want to know that You are all that I need, that You are all that I could ever need. Lord God, provide for me in the way that You see fit, and allow my heart to be grateful for it. Do not let fear, ungratefulness, bitterness, or selfishness to leave my lips. Jesus, let me live like You did, always relying and trusting in the Father, because He will give all that I need. You will give all that I need, Father. Thank You. Thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy that fill all my necessity. You are so good, Lord. I thank You and love You. In Your Son's holy and precious and beautiful Name, I pray. Amen.
I live in a world of technology. I don't think it's a secret. America is often at the forefront of technology from the major standpoint of the major population. While other countries have more technology here or there, the general public of America is ridiculously advanced. And it has never been more painfully obvious in my life than it is now. Than it has been while I have spent my time here in India over these past three months.
Now I'm not in any way going to rant about how evil and corrupt technology has made us or anything of the sort. I love technology. I'm typing this blog for the internet on my laptop lol it would be hypocritical of me to do something of the sort. But what I do want to write about is necessity. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, especially in the context of the last two weeks.
A team of eight people from Vancouver and Seattle, WA came to India on Dec 28 with the intention of building a basketball court for the ministry I am working with. This team ranged from a 16 year-old to a 63 year-old, from high school students to a pastor to a real estate agent. They are all in very different walks of life, dealing with very different issues in their homes, at their schools and/or workplaces, and have very different outlooks on certain things. Some had health issues, some were not all mentally here, some were more prepared than others. You get the idea. But what they did have in common was a desire to leave everything that knew, their homes, their lives, their comfort, to come to a common goal halfway around the world. They wanted to see a basketball/multi-sports court built at the second of two orphanages at this ministry in the last two years.
Why a basketball court? What can that do? For those of you who have experience playing sports, I'm sure you can attest to the many incredible opportunities sports can bring. But amidst the many many reasons that I could list off, only one is needed. The smile of a child playing. That's why we build a basketball court. If this court were built for two kids who never see each other on the same place in society to be able to play with one another, it would be enough. We sought to provide that for 50+ kids! And so we embarked together with this incredible task and idea. Through the process there were arguments, disappointments, tons of laughter, surprises, lots and lots of work, and finally the beautiful sound of children bouncing balls on a court they could call their own.
And through this entire process, I was forced with to face the reality of necessity. I have found myself praying that I would need God. This seems like an almost "duh" prayer, that it's like praying for the whole point. My response is-exactly. It is the point. The whole point. And I want it. I want to need God in everything I am, in everything I do. I don't ever want to feel like I don't need God, even in the 'little' things. But I have realized that I far too often replace God with the comforts that He has provided for me. It's like I have eagerly received His wonderful gifts with selfish and ungrateful hands. And God has really convicted me of this. He has reminded me that He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, that all that I have has come from Him, and in the end will mean nothing next to the eternity spent with Him, sharing in glory and praise for all days. He has reminded me that I "need" nothing but Him. That He will provide for me. Over and over again, He reminds His people, the Israelites this same message, and they continue to screw it up. I almost scoff at them as I read about their unfaithfulness. Then God gives me this same reminder, and all of the sudden I am one of these unfaithful Israelites that God just won't let go of. It reminds me that they were human, that I am human, and that God is God. And I will never not need Him. I will never need anything other than Him. I may have wants galore, but needs are non-existent. Needs implies that there are more things than one. But I do not need anything aside from Him. That's it.
One of my favorite United Pursuit songs is If I Gave It All. It has two incredible questions of faith in it. The singer asks "If I give it all to You, will You make it all new?" and "If I open up my hands, will You fill them again?" These are the cries of a heart that desires to need only God. They are not questions of the unfaithful, but of the heart that is realizing this is what is desired of us. I want to be able to give all things to God, because He desires and promises to make it all new. I want to open up my tight grips of fear and uncertainty so the God would fill them again.
Father God, I want to need you. I want to know that You are all that I need, that You are all that I could ever need. Lord God, provide for me in the way that You see fit, and allow my heart to be grateful for it. Do not let fear, ungratefulness, bitterness, or selfishness to leave my lips. Jesus, let me live like You did, always relying and trusting in the Father, because He will give all that I need. You will give all that I need, Father. Thank You. Thank You for Your unfailing love and mercy that fill all my necessity. You are so good, Lord. I thank You and love You. In Your Son's holy and precious and beautiful Name, I pray. Amen.
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