God's Gotcha Covered

God knows our needs. We never have to doubt that. Here’s an example from scripture:

God had just finished creating the world, and it was perfect—everything imaginable was created in the most beautiful way, Adam was made and instructed not to eat of the tree of good and evil. But God noticed that something was wrong. To Himself He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make an helpmeet for him.”

Well, some time went by, and Adam received the job of naming the animals. That is when he started seeing that something was missing. In the same verse that tells of Adam’s duties, it says, “But for Adam there was not found an helpmeet for him.” Now we see that Adam knew there was a need—he felt lonely. And that’s when God did His work. He put Adam to sleep…..and Eve was made, completely filling that need Adam felt.

This story shows us that God looks at us and sees our necessities BEFORE we do, so that when we finally notice that need ourselves, and talk to Him about it, He’s got everything in control and is ready to take care of us. Sadly though, there are so many times that, once we feel our need, we spend our time worrying, or complaining, or even trying to fill it ourselves, all of which are totally unacceptable. Why? Well, for instance, when one worries or complains over a need they have, they are so focused on how bad the situation is, and are disturbed because they can’t fix the problem themselves, there is no room for the joy of resting in the Lord. He’s going to take care of that problem anyway. So we can choose to spend the time of waiting either worrying and being stressed, or having peace while we trust Him.

Also, if a problem is attempted to be solved by us, we mess it all up, and our outcome becomes a lame and pathetic substitute for the wonderful solution that God already had planned in the first place. Otto Koning was a missionary in New Guinea and he tells a story that perfectly illustrates what I have just said. Once, he planted a pineapple garden, and he was absolutely stoked about eating what he had planted. As soon as the plants had grown, however, the natives of the country kept stealing the pineapples! He tried numerous things to get them to quit stealing his pineapples (closing down his medical clinic, closing down his store, getting a ferocious dog…), but nothing worked, and the natives became angry with him, because he was so selfish. Well, he finally decided to give the pineapples to God, and a few days later, he told the natives they weren’t stealing his pineapples, but God’s. After hearing that, the natives immediately quit stealing from him, and he was able to eat all the pineapples he could, and share the rest with the natives as well! He quit trying to solve the problem himself, leaving it up to God, who solved the situation perfectly.

Now, to sum up what I just said: When you realize you have a need, know that God already knows what it is, so just talk to Him about it and be joyful instead of resorting to disagreeable alternatives like complaining, worrying, or taking things in your own hands.