Pastor Andy speaks about our needs in these uncertain times. There is plenty of fear being circulated currently, but we must choose faith in God over fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”. God has given us a sound mind! Fear is often based in the thought of “I won’t have” what I need and can drive us to unusual behaviour. God’s people are not driven by fear and understand Gods promises regarding their provision. Scriptures tell us to cast our cares on Him for he cares for us (1Peter 5:7); The Father knows our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8); God will supply all our needs according to His riches (Phil 4:19). In these verses God speaks of meeting the needs of our body, soul and spirit. The present times challenge the belief systems regarding our needs - what do we need in order to survive and thrive, what are our priorities regarding needs? Will I have what I need when I need it? There are two ways of looking at this – the worldly way and the Kingdom way. Abraham Maslow, a well-known American psychologist summarised the worldly view in a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid - physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. He alludes to the fact that until all our basic needs are met we will not consider whether a God exists, or where we came from. He placed more emphasis on needs of body and soul before the needs of spiritual development – the person we really are. But Maslow was an atheist and did not believe in God’s wisdom. His understanding of the needs of a person was based solely on the physical not the spiritual. He did not recognise that there was a creator, someone who made creation to have needs and also would meet these needs. Jesus taught very differently.
Matthew 6:25-34(NIV) teaches “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.
This is a completely different emphasis to that of Maslow - seeking first the Kingdom of God and then all the other things will be met by God. Many times these verses tell us not to worry. Jesus turned Maslow’s pyramid upside down by saying seek me, seek My Kingdom first and if you do then God will meet all your other needs. For example we will never know the esteem that comes from knowing who we are in Christ, in God, until we seek first his Kingdom. Being in pursuit of God brings in everything we need as a human. Unshakeable safety comes from knowing God. As we busy ourselves in pursuing God he will busy Himself in meeting all our needs. Our greatest need is our need for God. Only when this comes into position correctly can we then stand on the promises of God’s word.