‘But as for me, I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God. You are my helper and my savior; O Lord , do not delay.’ Psalms 70:5(NLT)
‘Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! ‘ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10(NLT)
‘Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.’ Ephesians 2:1-10(NLT)
Remember how this Bible Plan started? We talked about how relationships are the recipients and the ingredients of some of God’s most amazing work. So what’s wrong in the recipe when needy relationships happen?
When David wrote Psalm 70:5 (quoting from the NIV here), he gave us a clue:
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.
The problem with needy human relationships is that there is only one Deliverer, and He is not you. When relationships require us to act like a savior, then we’re taking a space only Jesus can fill.
Even Jesus didn’t meet every need while He was here on Earth. Scripture records a few times when He was needed, yet He’d gone away to pray or rest.
Let’s look at our relationships again. Who’s acting as Deliverer and Savior? Is it God and Jesus? Is it you? Is it your spouse, a friend, a pastor?
Here’s the thing—God does use trusting relationships to meet needs and bring restoration. In fact, they’re probably the main way He heals the world. We just have to remember it’s God who’s doing the restoring, and He’s restoring both halves of the relationship. At Life.Church, we have a similar mission principle that’s really easy to remember: We’re all broken in some way.
Whether we lack material resources, meaningful relationships, purpose, or hope in Christ, we all experience neediness. As we reach out to others hoping to mend brokenness, we know we bring our own brokenness into the mix. While we may be one ingredient of someone’s restoration, it’s God who holds the full recipe.
Whether we’re always trying to save or be saved by others, we’re all still needy and broken. What Jesus-sized needs are you trying to fill within others?
Pray: God, You’re my deliverer. Jesus, You’re my savior. Forgive me for trying to save or be saved by anyone less than You. Please show me the ways I’ve tried to get my needs met outside of You. Please fill and heal those broken places. Amen.
from Relational Vampires