Beyond Need

"There is nothing on earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25).

I walked into a local fly fishing shop some years ago and marveled at all the gadgets, gimcracks and doodads I could buy to support my fishing habit. The proprietor, who knows me well, sauntered over and asked if he could help. "Oh, I'm just looking to see if I need anything, John.” I said.

"Roper," he drawled, “you're way beyond need." Exactly.

John's answer set me to thinking of all the rods, reels, lines, patterns, vests, wading staffs, shoes and waders that graced my garage and the back of my truck. Brand names like Winston, Sage, Orvis and Simms danced through my mind. Why do I need one more thing?

Odd, the years it has taken me to learn one simple fact, that the next purchase, the next excursion, the next publication—all the things that surely hold the key to my satisfaction—will never suffice. Despite my efforts to find contentment and joy, I will never know complete satiety in this present life. There will always be one more thing to do, or to possess, one more person to know, one more place to go. 

What is this voice that keeps telling me that I need something more?  Well, you may be surprised to know this, but our discontent is actually God’s voice longing for us, calling us. He is both the source and the satisfaction of our deepest needs.

“My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God,” David said (Psalm 42:2). That’s the long and short of it. God and His love is all I need.

David Roper

11.9.17