Your Need Matt 6:32 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In Matt 6:32 Jesus told his disciples that “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” He was speaking specifically of food, drink and clothing. But God knows not only what temporal needs we have but also our spiritual and eternal needs, as well. He knows the needs of our body, our soul and our spirit [1 Thes 5:23]. And not only does he know these needs, he also provides for them. God provides for:
The need of the body – when a man has his physical needs met to his satisfaction he doesn’t see his need for God and disdains men who do. He says, “I don’t need that crutch,” talking about God. A man needs health. People came to Jesus for healing [Lk 8:43] because he can do things doctors can’t do. He can completely heal you or he can strengthen you with his grace and comfort you with his Spirit in your infirmity. And he knows which is best for you. While many people don’t attribute health to God, they certainly and quickly blame him for suffering. They must think he can and should do something about their health and life when things go wrong. Yet, once these health needs are met by doctors and medicines or by natural remedies and prevention, then people often forget their need of God. God brought affliction to Israel to turn them back to Him. In Rev 9:20-21 people get so far from God that they don’t repent when the affliction comes. A man needs provision. Our basic provisions of breath and life come from God [Acts 8:24-29]. Without the Lord you cannot live and you cannot breathe. When you no longer see the connection between the Lord and your physical need, you lose your desire for God.
The need of the soul – in Lk 12:15-21 we see that men often try to fill the need of the soul by covetousness which manifests itself in the accumulation of possessions and in idolatry [Col 3:5]. Yet, even with an abundance of wealth, there is still something missing. In Matt 19:16-22 the rich young ruler “had it all” and yet asked the Lord, “What lack I yet?” He lacked eternal life, something his money and his good works could not buy. And, frankly, eternal life in the soul is of far greater value than the possession of literally everything in the world [Mk 8:36-37]. The Lord is the only one who can fill this need.
The need of the spirit – the need of the spirit is manifested by worship. Cain worshipped after he produced his crop. In Ex 32:8 the Jews worshipped the golden calf. Catholics say that statues are an aid to worship. Men are designed to worship. And if they don’t worship God then they will worship the creature [Rom 1:25, this is what evolutionists do]. The Ethiopian eunuch was returning from worship when Philip met him [Acts 8:27]. The woman at the well in Jn 4 turned the topic to worship when Jesus started talking about eternal life [Jn 4:20-22]. When the Lord fills the need of your spirit then you will get your worship straightened out [Jn 4:23-24]. The Lord is the only one who can do this.
Conclusion: for those of us who are saved, we need to be reminded that the Lord is the one who fills the need of our body, our soul and our spirit. For those who are not yet saved, Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” Being born again opens the way for the Lord to meet the needs of all three aspects of your being [Phil 4:19; Heb 4:16, 1 Tim 6:5, 2 Cor 5:17].