Do you have what you need?

At some point in our annual cycle of ministry we begin to assess what we will need for the coming year. Usually it is part of the budgeting process. What are we lacking? What could help us better accomplish our mission? What is the staff asking for in the way of equipment, facilities, supplies?

That is always a good exercise for us…assess the need, plan for the future, seek the resources to meet that need and grow in our effectiveness and service. Usually the process leads us to prioritize what ends up on our list. What is really needed? What could wait for another time…another year?

I was thinking through this when I read the very familiar 23rd Psalm in the New Living Translation. The first verse stopped me cold.

[blockquote author=”Psalm 23:1″ link=”” target=”_blank”]The Lord is my shepherd;  I have all that I need. [/blockquote]

David wasn’t’ talking about ministry or organizations or businesses for which we are responsible. He had in mind God’s blessings in his life. Most of the rest of the Psalm is just a listing of what God has done for David that brings him satisfaction. The comfort, the protection, the peace, the direction…all part of the enduring love, grace, and mercy of our Lord.

As I think through these two things…the need to plan and grow in our ministries, and the sufficiency of God for every area of our lives…I wonder if we sometimes get the two areas confused? Do we buy into the thought that we have to have more in our personal lives in order to be happy? I must confess that happens to me. I look around at all the “stuff” I have accumulated. Upgraded mobile phones. Latest software. Things for entertainment or recreation. Stuff.

It isn’t that having this stuff is the problem. It is why we get it that can be our trouble. Do we need it to be fulfilled? Do we rationalize that if we don’t get the latest “thing” we will be left behind? Do we just like new stuff? Maybe, most important, is all this stuff keeping us from enjoying our time with the Lord Jesus?

That Psalm of David is more about the Lord and less about the provisions He supplies. It is more about being satisfied with God than needing things. And it is more about the unrelenting love He shows to those who trust him.

The Apostle Paul reassured the early day Christ-followers at Philippi:
[blockquote author=”Philippians 4:19″ link=”” target=”_blank”]And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.[/blockquote]