For When God Is Slow to Meet Our Needs

I don’t generally feel like I have big needs. My family is healthy, we have a lovely home, and I run to the grocery store on a regular basis. We have, for the most part, everything we need. And yet there are days I feel that emptiness, that something that I need, and it is painful. When I look at my sweet, struggling tween daughter and think, “Lord, please give her the friendship at school that she so desperately needs.” Or when I wake up in the morning and can feel depression lurking in the air around me and think, “God, I need encouragement today.”

And then I look at the world around me, and I see it even more. What about the young couple whose budget for the month was decimated by an emergency room visit? Or the family whose house was destroyed by fire?

The Bible says, “And my God will meet all your needs” (Phil. 4:19 NIV), which is wonderful. But do our needs ever catch him off guard? If he knows an emergency room trip is coming up, couldn’t an anonymous check show up in the mail the day before? Sure, he might send neighbors over with dinner or a grocery store gift card, but why worry that poor couple in the first place? If my daughter’s personality (which he created, I might add) relies on one or two deep connections, couldn’t he have at least put us in the same school district with her BFF? If God is going to supply all my needs, why does it hurt so much until he does?

A few weeks ago, I read through Genesis 2. I’ll be honest; I have always struggled with the story of Eve’s creation. For days, God created the earth piece by piece, and each day ended with God surveying his work and declaring it “good.” But suddenly, in Genesis 2, he changes his tune, saying, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (vs. 18). There was a void in God’s creation. Adam was lacking something. And hey, the answer to Adam’s problem was a woman! I feel like that’s saying something for our gender. God puts Adam to sleep, takes one of his ribs, and voila! Problem solved, need met.

But I’ve never understood why the hole existed in the first place. How did God get all the way through creation without noticing something was missing? Did it really take him by surprise to see Adam wandering through the garden, alone and forlorn?

But this time, as I read, something clicked. Of course it didn’t take God by surprise. Of course he knew Adam needed a companion. But Adam didn’t. God could have created them at the same time. Eve could have been the first thing Adam ever saw. But then Adam would never have known the void, so he would never have known God filled it. Because the real solution to Adam’s problem wasn’t Eve, it was God. His provision. His infinite knowledge of what was best. He even let Adam play with (okay, name, but you know he jumped on a tiger’s back and went for a ride, too) all of the animals first, let him try to fix the gap himself, but it was still there. God knew what Adam really needed, and only he could provide it. And only when Adam was desperate, and then when he could see the power of God, could he fully appreciate the provision.

Here in America, where many of us have so few unmet physical needs, it’s sadly easy for us to become complacent and self-reliant. If we need milk, we go to the store. If we “need” a new kitchen appliance, we might have to skip out on a few Starbucks lattés, but we make it happen. We forget who is truly meeting our needs. Until suddenly there’s a void, big or small, that we cannot fix on our own. That’s when we turn to the One who supplies all our needs.

Don’t miss this: God is almighty and all-knowing. He knows our needs before we do. He knows what’s coming every day of our lives before we even take one breath. He doesn’t hold back out of spite, and he is never surprised by our needs. He waits until the perfect moment to provide so we can see and fully appreciate the depth of his love for us. He allows us to feel the void so we can watch him fill it and know that he is God. Our needs allow us to draw near to him.

What do you need today? From the biggest need to the smallest, God can meet them all. Draw near to him, dear one, and let him use this opportunity to show you that he is good.

Katy Epling is a writer, speaker, and “masterpiece in progress” (Ephesians 2:10) from Akron, Ohio. She and her husband Jon have three beautiful children who provide her with multitudes of material—both dramatic and comedic. Learn more about her heart and ministry at katyepling.com.