Need

"There's something about the poor that delights the heart of God. They're contrite. They know they're in need. What is it about the poor that makes them want to come to Jesus? What is it about the poor that literally brings the Kingdom of God, that allows them to experience the Kingdom of God in a way that [us] well-fed don't? It has to do with hunger. It has to do with their need. They know they need God. They're hungry and thirsty. The Lord wants to cause even the rich, even the middle-class, to be poor in spirit and know that they are in need of Him."

I read this in a book, Always Enough, by Heidi and Rolland Baker. I believe I've mentioned this book in previous posts, and as I read it, it stirs up in me so many questions and desperate desires to see God move here, the way He does in impoverished communities.

As I look at the church in America, and at my own life, I see a staggering lack of passion and faith. I believe Heidi Baker is on to something here, pointing to lives characterized by hunger and need, and linking that to a hunger for God. When you have nothing, no material possessions, you have nothing holding you back, pinning you to this world. There's not much to fling off to be able to wildly chase after Christ.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean to say that poor people have it easy. By no means; especially because I've seen people who have nothing in a constant battle to get more and more "stuff". They struggle with the desire for fortune, a nice car, and a fancy house just like we do. And that's not even mentioning the physical struggle it must be to go without food, water, and basic health. So where is the difference? Why do they need God with such transparency?

Perhaps the difference is that need is present in their lives and not in mine. Perhaps I don't know how to need God because I've never needed anything. Even while living in Mexico and Honduras, my every need was filled, and I never was in want. Plainly, I don't know how to need because I've never really had to. But these people Heidi Baker talks about know need to the very core of their being. They know need on a daily basis. They know how to ache for something. So when it comes to needing God, they know the kind of ache the psalmists write about.

I know I need God, but is that need present in my everyday life? I want to feel that need because I think joy and passion in connecting with Jesus is a direct result of that deeply-rooted need. So now the issue stands: how do I go about getting that passion here, where I have no need for anything else? Is it a perspective change? Is it a life-style, spending change? Is it a basic heart change?

I'm not sure what is required, but I think Mrs. Baker makes a compelling argument here.