Beyond Our Needs & Wants

Needs. Wants. Require. Desire. 4 words that every economist loves to talk about. It's also the same 4 words that advertisers love to muddle up. We are fortunate to live in a country where our basic standard of living is considered royalty by the poorer half of the world's population. But still, we seem to be living in lack.

If you're expecting me to go on rambling about the difference between our needs and wants, then you are assuredly mistaken. The world knows what the difference between those two words are. From childhood, we've been indoctrinated with the concept that a need is something we cannot live without and a want is something we desire, but not essential for survival. So from the start, we've been taught to associate meeting our needs as a responsibility, but fulfilling our wants as a selfish desire.

Look at the US, they are facing a mortgage crisis. At home in Australia, the credit card debt has gone up to $40 billion. I've spent tons of money on clothes, but sometimes when I look in my closet, I still don't know which clothes to wear. Any parent who has bought toys for their children should know that toys are not essential for their survival, but their rooms are still filled with those colourful little squiggly things anyway.

However what happens when we apply this principle to the relationship between God and Man? I need Him. I want Him. I require Him. I desire Him. You might think that the differences between these 4 words are not significant when it comes to God. But you'll be surprised on how much it speaks about your understanding of the Lord's presence in your life.

In the NKJV Bible, the word "want" occurs 116 times. The most famous mention of it of course is in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." This gives us an impression that "want" is not a character that we should have when the Lord becomes our Shepard. Is David implying that we should not want or desire anything?

When we let the Bible interpret the Bible, in Psalm 34:10, David writes "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." The Hebrew word for "want" in Psalm 23 and "lack" in Psalm 34 is the same word, חסר khaw-sare; which means to lack, be without. David was not saying that he shall have no desires, but he was referring to not be without.

The Greek word for "need" is chreia, which can mean usage, employment, demand or requirement. Notice how similar the word sounds with "career". However the word for "want" in Greek is boulomai, which means to will deliberately, have a purpose, to desire.

To need God implies that we require something from Him. But once that need is satisfied, we no longer have any use for Him, until the next lack arises. I challenge you this, rather than instilling such a wavering attitude in ourselves, we should be having a desire for our Lord regardless of our circumstances in life. During times of abundance, praise Him, and times of lack, trust Him. Our bank balance or emotional state at any moment shouldn't change the fact that He is a very real part of our lives.

There is an aspect of want that is not obvious; a want does not have any reason to exist besides satisfying one's own desires. However, as much as we can choose not to buy that 60 inch plasma television that we want so much, a want is still filled with a free choice. Anytime a want crosses our minds, a choice has to be made. How much more does it say about your relationship with God if you choose to have His presence in your life, rather than having no choice but to?

Other notable occurrences of "want" are in Galatians 3:2, "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?";

2 Corinthians 5:4, "For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.";

John 5:6 , "When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”; and

Exodus 12:48, "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land."

The last example is particular interesting. The "stranger" does not need to keep the Passover, but if he chooses to do so, all the males in his household have to be circumcised. Now all you guys out there will know that this procedure isn't exactly a walk in the park. As a matter of fact I don't think you'll be walking around that much after either.

There is no such thing as an atheist in a sinking boat. For anyone to say that we should live a life just always needing God, it either must be really comfortable living in a sinking boat, or they must not have experienced life in the water-tight hull of the Ark at all, which is our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is this free choice that differentiates a need and a want. Yes, we need God's wisdom, we need His favor, we need His grace and love. But when it comes to the presence of the Lord, I don't just want to need Him in times of need, I want to want Him even when my needs are met. Free choice is the one thing that sets a believing believer apart from an unbelieving believer. A believing believer saw the choice that Jesus made by sacrificing Himself to be hung on the cross. An unbelieving believer knows Jesus Christ hung on the cross, but doesn't know what that has got to do with him.

If you don't agree, maybe it's worthwhile asking God to not fulfill the prayers of your needs so that we will always need Him, because inadvertently that is what's you're implying.

I carried out an informal survey at work and asked my colleagues if they preferred their partners to say "I want you" or "I need you"? Out of 11 ladies surveyed, 6 chose "need" and the remaining 5 picked "want". The age group of those surveyed was between 30 and 60. They are all mothers; 3 of them are nurses, 5 administration staff, 2 scientists, and 1 psychologist. The gender bias can be easily explained by the fact that I'm the only guy at work. If you include me in the survey as well, the score is dead even.

While this result does not give weight to either side of the argument, it does imply that the world is also torn in half when it comes to knowing the difference between a need and want in relationships.

But the most important question is, are you?

Don't just need God when times are tough. Don't just seek His presence when there is no one else to fill the void. Invite Him in the midst of your friends and your career. But most importantly, want Him, because He first wanted you.
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This article was written in response to the discussion I had a couple of weeks ago at a cell group meeting. May this enlighten your confused minds and edify your weakened spirits, my dear friends.

The Lord be with you always...