The concept of want fights the concept of need in our world. This is why bad decisions are made, wars are fought, we have problems in our relationships, etc. There is a difference between want and need, but we don’t necessarily understand what this is; the line has become blurred for us. The real truth is that we’re turning wants into needs in our day-to-day lives.
God Knows our Need
In our Scripture setting, Jeremiah tells us about our wants and desires. He notes our heart is deceptive and not to trust it. There’s a way that seems right to man but the end is death (Proverbs 14:12). It’s not what we want to be that matters but what we need to be. We should turn to God to understand this concept; He is the only One who truly knows our needs. As we start this new year, we should understand our pathway has already been carved out for 2019. Our job is to figure out what this is!
The Plan (Need) Revealed
God’s people were taken into captivity into the Babylonian empire at this point in Scripture. It wasn’t in their plan and they were having a difficult time. During their captivity, God spends them a specific Word. While being taken from their homeland wasn’t in their plans, God tells them to trust Him. In captivity, God tells them to build houses, plant crops, get married, have children, etc. They didn’t realize they were right in the middle of God’s plan for their life. It was God’s will they stay in captivity for 70 years. We don’t see the big plan—God has the only true picture of what should happen in our life! Are we brave enough to let go of what seems right to us and embrace everything God wants for us? It’s going to take effort on our part to make God’s plan come to fruition in our life and bring Him glory (Psalms 37:23; Proverbs 16:9; Job 23:11). It’s only when we follow His plan can we be a part of the Kingdom of God.
Boundaries Help
If we’re going to follow God’s perfect plan for our life, we need to realize and operate within the boundaries God’s set up. Prayer and reading God’s Word will be the avenues in which God reveals those boundaries to us. But, how does this help? In trying to determine what we should be doing (or who we need to be), it’s sometimes easier to figure out what we shouldn’t be doing. If we find the inverse, this helps us to see the boundaries of where God will and won’t work in our lives. Boundaries will help us understand the vision God has for our future. If we’re doing something that isn’t God’s will, we need to find an altar of repentance. Sin, if left to abide in our life, will lead us into developing the wrong plans. We need boundaries and we need to know God’s will for our life!
Brokenness Brings the Right Need
When we’ve repented and sought after the boundaries of God’s will, we’ll find ourselves in a broken state. It may seem like our life is in pieces and we’re not sure what to do. But, it’s in our brokenness that God is able to work. He’s able to change us into a new creature in Christ. He will put the broken pieces of our life back together so they align with His perfect plan and His perfect way. This is God’s healing process and we must ask for it! When we ask to be healed, God will heal us (Jeremiah 17:14). This is our promise just as it was to Israel. God told Israel if they would allow His plan to be executed in their brokenness, He would bring them back together (Jeremiah 29:14). If we allow God’s plan to manifest in our life, He will bring us back together into one piece and pour out His blessings upon us.
