Have you ever witnessed a child pitch a fit when he doesn’t get what he wants? If it’s your child pitching the fit, you’re mortified and want to disappear into the floor. If you’re witnessing it as one who has never had children, you’re mortified and think the parent needs to do a better job of keeping their child in line. If you’ve been there and done that, you smile because you recognize the parent is holding his or her ground to teach their child a valuable lesson in life. You don’t always get what you want, but you usually get what you need.
Most of you can relate to the parent; however, do you ever feel like that child? Do you ever feel like God isn’t listening to you or giving you what you need? All you need is XYZ and He seems to have tuned you out or is failing to show up. If you’ve felt that way, you’re not alone.
In our culture, we tend to confuse our needs and our wants. Fortunately for us, God knows what we need even before we ask it [Matthew 6:8]. He is a good Father and He provides for our needs. Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” We need to understand that “All your needs” means all your needs. God doesn’t get us to a certain point in life and decide He’s had enough and we’re on our own. He is faithful [Deuteronomy 7:9].
There’s an old song by Garth Brooks that says “I thank God for unanswered prayer.” The jest of the song is he asked God for things he didn’t really need or even want but he only realized it in retrospect. God knows us [Psalm 139:1]. He created us and He has good plans for us, so we can trust Him [Psalm 139:13-14, Jeremiah 29:11].
No matter what you think you need, you can trust your Father knows best. He is for you and He will give you what you need when you need it. When it appears He may have checked out or doesn’t care, you can trust He has a better plan for you. It may not look like it, but He’s working everything together for your good [Romans 8:28]. In times like these you have to have faith and believe in the One who hasn’t ever left you or forsaken you [Deuteronomy 31:6, 8].
My daughter’s preschool teacher used to have a saying in her classroom we can apply to our lives. “You take what you get and don’t pitch a fit.” What would you say you need right now? Will you trust in your Father to provide what you really need? He’s worthy of your faith.