Psalm 68:19 “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”
I pulled into the church parking lot listening to Toby Mac’s I Just Need U on the radio. Since it happens to be one of my favorite songs right now, I waited until it was over before entering the building. The worship team was practicing for the morning service, singing I Need You Now. A different song, but the same message: how much we need God.
I probably need God most in those times when I don’t realize I need him. Things are moving fairly smoothly. No big crisis at hand. My concerns aren’t driving me to my knees. I fall into a “good enough” mentality. But as Oswald Chamber writes, “The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best.”
The good can blind us from our need. It can keep us satisfied with praying nominal prayers and expecting nominal results. It can short-change us from experiencing the fulness of life God intends. But more importantly, it can keep us from a deeper intimacy with the Lord. When we’re aware we need him to infuse everything we do, our love for him grows exponentially.
David declares in Psalm 68, “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Daily. God wants us to know he is our daily burden-bearer. His plan for us doesn’t include spinning our wheels in the stagnancy of “good enough.” David learned to depend upon God in everything from caring for his sheep, to facing down Goliath to leading Israel into battle.
Sometimes his needs were obvious. Sometimes they were not. When they were not, he let his guard down and made one of the worst mistakes of his life. He needed God to deliver him from his lustful desire for Bathsheba. If he would have asked God, God would have answered. But he didn’t ask. He let his wants overshadow his need.
How about you? Do you sometimes forget how much you need God? Ah, friend, don’t let that happen. Every time you acknowledge your need for him, the door to spiritual growth opens. And if Toby Mac can acknowledge his need, I guess we can too.