Want Versus Need...What Does God Want?

James 4:2-3 -   You want what you don’t have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it.  And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

James hits on one of the most destructive character traits known to the Christian heart in this passage.  The anger...bitterness and jealously it creates in the world destroys marriages….families…careers….and people.  Perhaps we have learned to be more civilized that to start a fight to take something away from someone…but we still long for material possessions and the comfort and status they add to our emotions.

James addresses the key things we need to think about when we …THINK…we want something.  Before we pray we need to analyze why we THINK we need what we want. His thoughts move us past the basic lessons we learned in economics class of want versus need. In essence…we can exist with food …water…shelter…and let’s add God to the mix for believers.  But we live in a world that says that we must also have transportation… a job… dress a certain way… nice houses… new clothes that are current fashion…and on and on it goes. The line of wants and needs has become very muddy indeed.

I have a current struggle I will share.  God granted me a wonderful home.  It had almost all the ‘wish list’ I gave my realtor. I would have loved to have a garage…a screened in deck and larger rooms….but I thankfully accepted the wonderful gift of what he gave me.  The fall leaves that are falling and staining my car make me really want that garage….or at least a covered carport that comes to one of my doors when the weather is bad. I even checked in to one…the structure was affordable…but the cost of permits and such drove the cost out of my budget. 

Perhaps I don’t really need it...and God knows the money I had set aside for that is going to be needed for something He wants.  His plans  will go beyond my vision of what I THINK I need in so many ways if I can wrap my head around the disappointment of the current reality….and accept the fact that scraping leaves and washing the acid off the car constantly  is at least easier than scraping snow. God will help me deal with the snow when it happens.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to always think carefully about the things in my life.  Forgive me for the times that let my wants get inflated and focused too much on what I THINK I need without consulting you.  Help me to always take time to pray for guidance and wisdom in all the things I pray for.  Amen.