Thoughts by CARadke on
Devotions for the Man in the Mirror
by Patrick Morley

13. Dependency: The Safety of the Unmet Need

Today Morley shares a devotion with us about depending on Christ. His phrase, "The safety of the unmet need," is a paradox. When we have an unmet need, we usually feel weak. We feel vulnerable. We feel anything but safe. What is Morley talking about?

To me, a lot of what is going on here revolves around a single word--pride. When I choose not to recognize any unmet needs in my life, I tend to give myself a great deal of credit for having met all of my needs. After all, I worked, I prepared, I executed, I earned, I overcame, I did it all! Or did I?

Think for a minute about the parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21. How many times can a guy say "I will"? Perhaps a better question is how many times he can say it before God replies, "Thou fool." And an even better question is how many times I can say it before I have made a fool of myself before God.

The fact is that the first time I give myself credit for my achievements, I have already made a fool of myself in God's eyes. Morley shares the plight of the widow in 1 Timothy 5:5 as a person who is really in need. What each of us has to understand is that even when we don't recognize our needs, we are always just as needy as that widow. Our souls are empty. We have no spiritual sufficiency on our own. We are in need. We are deeply in need.

Physical comfort can distract us from our spiritual needs. Morley takes the first giant step forward when he quotes his friend who says, "You will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have." The next step is getting to the point of realizing that everything we have is nothing. To say it another way, nothing we have is anything. The only thing that is anything is God. Until we figure that one out, nothing else matters.

We are all utterly dependent. We all have a need that is unmet until it is met by Christ. That need is salvation, and we are totally dependent on God to meet it. How humbling that is. And how comforting, too.

Dear Lord, thank you for providing salvation by grace to me. In my arrogance I am easily distracted. I come to believe that I provide for myself. I even come to act as though I am sufficient in myself. But I come before you now. I know that I am in need, and that you alone can fill that need. Fill me now, Lord. Fill me now. Amen.

Grace and peace--
CARadke


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