God Doesn’t Need You—He Desires You
An honest look at our relationship with God, and the relationship he wants with us.
Sometimes we think we’re doing God a favor by praying, or by going to mass. We may even try to spite or punish him by refusing to pray, refusing to worship, refusing to follow him. It’s as if we recognize our own value, and leverage our worth against God. We recognize something true, but apply it in a way that is false. We are indeed worth a lot to God. But God doesn’t need you, he desires you, and there’s a big difference.
Created in His Image
In the creation narratives of Genesis, we see our unique value established from the very beginning. While God speaks the rest of creation into existence—”Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), “Let the earth bring forth vegetation” (Genesis 1:11)—when it comes to humanity, there’s a dramatic shift. God says,
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”
Genesis 1:26
We alone bear the divine image, the imago Dei. The sun and moon reflect God’s glory, the animals show His creativity, but only humanity reflects God Himself.
Then in Genesis 2:7, we see an even more intimate act:
“The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
God doesn’t breathe life into the animals or plants, but only into us. We are dust animated by divine breath, matter infused with the spirit of God. This is our unique dignity: we are the only creatures made in God’s image, the only ones who receive the breath of life directly from His mouth, the only ones given dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28), and the only ones with whom God walks and speaks in intimate relationship (Genesis 3:8).
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How Much God Values Us
Scripture frequently shows just how much God values us, and the Holy Spirit seems to go out of His way to communicate this in powerful imagery that moves this value-measurement out of abstraction and theory, and into connectable, heartfelt realities. The Psalmist marvels,
“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor”
-Psalm 8:4-5
Jesus Himself tells us that we’re valuable to God:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows”
-Matthew 10:29-31
God’s attention to detail regarding our lives is staggering—He knows us so intimately that it’s like every hair on our head is counted.
Then there’s the prophet Isaiah who reassures us of God’s comfort: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4, echoing Isaiah 25:8), showing that God cares about every sorrow we experience. And in Psalm 139:13-14, David writes, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are not accidents or afterthoughts—we are fearfully and wonderfully crafted by God Himself, known by Him before we even drew our first breath.
Desired, Not Needed
We are the apple of God's eye. He desires us, but he doesn't need us. He is complete, whole, and lacking nothing. All the more reason why it should amaze us that while needing nothing, he still desires a relationship with us.
He so desires us that he sent his Son to die for us, so that, being freed from the bonds of sin, we have an opportunity to have a relationship with him now and to be with him forever in heaven.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”
-John 3:16“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” -Romans 5:8
An Encounter with…Water?
God’s desire—the desire of his heart—is deep and mysterious but also simple. When Jesus encounters the woman at the well (John 4:1-42), he asked for something very simple—a cup of water. I have said this before, but though it’s only a cup of water, it’s not so simple as a cup of water. In that moment a cup of water was His heart’s desire. And the heart of Jesus (God) is infinitely deep. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink” (John 4:7), and later, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
(NOTE: Paid Subscribers, here’s a supplement to this article explaining the practical theology behind the “living water” in John 4)
Snotty Little Child!
At every level of our faith experience, we can be tempted to deny God his heart’s desire. Whether it’s our full attention, our devotion, our praise, or our worship, we can find ourselves withholding ourselves from God, or giving him less than what he wants. I do this all the time when I’m too “busy” to pray or too lazy to be all-in in my spirituality. When I do that, I’m not giving him all that he wants. And in the process I’m actually hurting myself.
Then there are those who dangle themselves in front of God almost as if to taunt him. “Give me what I ask, and then I’ll give you what you want.” We sure know how to be snotty little children! Recall the Jews in the wilderness who, even after witnessing God’s deliverance from Egypt, grumbled and tested Him: “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). I kind of want to be there when God comes down to them to say “Hey, I don’t need you, big shot. Remember that. I desire you. It’s you who needs me. Get that straight!” Eh! Thankfully God isn’t from Brooklyn, because we Brooklyn-kind usually come out swinging like that. He’s more merciful and patient. Maybe he’s from Oklahoma.
God is patient. Let’s not exploit that. Give God his heart’s desire. Give him yourself—your time, your prayer, your worship, your attention. Be good to him. Look how good he is to you.
“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made” (Psalm 145:8-9).
God be with you all.
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What are the ways you find yourself withholding from God? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.