Standing in the Need

The current season of life is coming to a close for my wife and I, and a new one is slowly coming to be. It’s a strange place to be in; I’m sure in hindsight I’ll find more appreciation for it than I do now. For now it’s bittersweet. It’s tough to say goodbye, but exciting to think of where God will lead us. This is a growing season. Not a season that one might want, but one that everyone needs from time to time. It’s a season that reminds us that we cannot do this alone.

I look at other people who are following Jesus and it seems to come so naturally. When I look at my own life things don’t seem to come as naturally. I struggle and doubt; I consistently find myself doing the opposite of what God has called me to do. I suspect that even the people that seem to have it together secretly struggle. I presume I’m not alone in this. It seems like human nature to want to attempt life on our own. Yet one doesn’t have to try for very long to see that attempting this rarely works. 

Man was never intended to do life apart from God. We are meant to do life in partnership with God.

In my head I know this to be true, however I struggle to actually live like that. Knowing this and practicing this are two different things. As I move into this next stage in my life I know that I need God in my life like never before. I cannot do what God has called me to apart from Him. I desperately want to succeed in this stage of my life and lead a life that honors and glorifies Him.

The thing about leading a life like that is that it really has little to nothing to do with us and who we are. But it has everything to do with who God is and what He has done.

We often think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We think that we can do life on our own, but can we really do that? The truth is most of us try and if we are honest it isn’t working out too well for us. Look at the world around us, we are failing. We are failing because we are trying to do life on our own power and it’s not working.

Sure we might be able to attain some “worldly” success. But if we want to live the life God is calling us to we don’t have a chance of doing this on our own. We NEED God. God has gone to crazy lengths to get us back to Him so that we can do life with Him by our side. It is His desire to go through life with us and help us.

God doesn’t call us to a life that we are capable of living. He calls us to a life that we are only capable of living with Him.

I realize that more than ever now. The path my wife and I are on is not one we can accomplish on our own. We need God. More than that, if God doesn’t show up we are sunk. We are totally in His hands. At first that seems a little scary. But whose better hands to be in than the creator of the universe.

We should find comfort that our life rests not in our own clumsy hands but in God’s loving and secure hands.

One of my favorites bands is Emery and in their third release “I Am Only a Man” speaks to this. Throughout the album Toby writes about how he tried for so long to do life on his own, but ultimately failed. He came to the realization that he was only a man and man’s greatest need is God. On the 6th track this thought comes into full light with these lyrics:

You people could say that I’m the bad guy

Because I was weak

I was weak once or twice

Well let me tell you

I am standing in the need

I am staying in the need

Because I can’t control this person behind my hands

That phrase “standing in the need” is a shortened Baptist saying. What it means is that we need God and we can “stand” in that need and God will provide. In all of our lives we are simply not good enough, there is a need in all of our lives. God can provide for that need and lead us through life. We need to stand in that need.

I know in my life I’m not good enough. But I also know that the God I serve is more than good enough. I’m going to be standing in the need, and there is no place I would rather be.

Similar Posts

31 Comments

  1. Just remember that our GOD is so good all the time……..yes we were made to glorify HIM, but also to need and be in relationship with HIM. HE loves us and sustains us, no matter where we are in our story of life. Enjoyed your post!

  2. God has been speaking to me the last couple of days about living in the need, only I didn’t know that phrase but now I do and it resounds so strong in my heart. I want to live in the need – yet another example of the topsy turvy upside down kingdom in which we live. I will reblog this on Shiny Thoughts.

    May the ever present Help make Himself ever known to you!

  3. Every mess is His message. Every test is a testimony. Thanks for this article. Perfectly in time, becasue my friend just asked me something about this. This surely helped. 🙂

  4. Well said. While reading this, I got to thinking about Peter stepping out of the boat to follow Jesus out onto the water. If it’s any comfort to you, remember that, at times, Peter failed in his walk with Jesus as much as he succeeded. He, like us, was afraid, made mistakes, and literally and figuratively sank. None of that mattered, though. Peter was the “rock” not because he was never afraid or never failed. What made Peter special was his willingness to keep getting out of the boat. 🙂 God bless you and your wife during this season! Sending prayers your way! Audrey

    1. Thank you for the prayers and the encouragement! We know God will tell a good story through us. We will make mistakes and be afraid but at the end of the day we will strive to follow God as best as we can.

  5. Curtis, I have been missing you so I came to visit and find that you are making changes. You don’t say how that will involve your blogging contacts, But if we are separated for a time, going with God is the priority. I don’t know whether you have read my God the Provision pages on my blog. They are written from my belief that God created man, God said it was good, Man had/has needs. Therefore, God deliberately created man with needs so that he, God himself, could fulfill those needs. A loving Father would not create a child whose needs he could and would not care for. Blessings on you and your wife as you go to whatever and wherever you are lead.

    1. I think that comes down to an honest evaluation of yourself. For me the biggest tell is my energy. When I do things myself I get tired quick, I get cranky, I get impatient, and so on. Those aren’t the fruits of the spirit. I know when I see those I’m living out of my own strength. But when I see that even though I’m going through difficulty that I am still at peace, still loving, and have trust in God I know I’m living in God’s strength and not my own.

      I apologize for the late response, selling a home and traveling across the country took a little bit of time!

  6. Real encouragement in honesty, thank you. So agree that God calls us to live a life beyond what we think/feel we are capable of… I often find myself feeling I’m not good enough… But God calls me forward again with the reply ‘I didn’t choose you because you were good enough! You are loved!’ There is everything we need in relationship with him.

  7. Wow, so glad you connected with us. We are digging this blog pretty deeply (Get it?).

    We’re excited for you and your wife’s journey. God does totally have you in this season, and as you jump (with faith and doubt, fear and bravery) into the next season!

    – Dee with the M+R Team

  8. We are praying, Reading Philippians 2:1-11. May it be an encouragement to you. Love you both. Keep us informed.

  9. Reblogged this on call for endurance and commented:
    I have tried to do things apart from God and they do not turn out very well. Sure, I get angry with Him but I return to Him despite myself. Life’s transitions are tricky and testing. Here’s a nice blog I enjoyed about it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *