There’s a beautiful song in our songbook written by Mosie Lister in 1955, entitled “He Knows Just What I Need.” Among other words are these used in the chorus, “My Jesus knows just what I need; he satisfies, and every need supplies, yes, he knows just what I need.” The song reminds us of the statement of our Lord in Matthew 6:8, “Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Have you ever stopped to consider your basic needs, and how God provides for them? Every member of society needs certain, fundamental things to survive and flourish in this world. I am going to focus on members of American society in general, because, although I believe the principles apply to all people everywhere, these needs are especially noticeable in our current culture.
The Need For Security
Healthy societies are made up of people who feel safe and secure. Their need for security is addressed through long-held traditions and relationships which make people feel comfortable. One example is marriage. Advanced societies recognize the need for solid family units within the culture, where each member has a place of refuge, security and safety. Each has a place of belonging where they can feel needed and wanted. It is not surprising, therefore, that as our American culture has drifted away from God’s pattern for the home and family, we have had a marked increase in feelings of insecurity and social isolation. An unhealthy independence from each other, inordinate distance between members within communities, and resulting feelings of skepticism and mistrust often signal a breakdown in security.
Another example is the security which comes through meaningful employment, and the promise of career advancement. Society holds out the promise that if people work hard enough, they can get to the top of whatever field they enter. There is a comforting security in feeling that we are making a difference in our field, steadily advancing and improving.
But when we look at how the teachings of domestic roles and responsibilities are discarded, when scriptural concepts of the importance of hard work and workplace ethics are tossed aside, we understand the erosion of security formerly known by members of our society. There is a way back to security. But that way involves embracing the precepts of God’s word and accepting Jesus Christ as our role model. Our Savior supplies just exactly what we need.
The Need For Consistency
Closely related to our need for security, is the need for consistency in the expectations society has for us. We need to feel that we can grow and prosper across the spectrum of our various responsibilities. Sadly, fulfillment of this need is increasingly elusive in American society. As Charles H. Kraft observed, “Our experience is that very often we are expected to fulfill simultaneously two or more mutually exclusive sets of expectations. Commonly, wives are expected to be sexpots who are totally devoted to homemaking, totally devoted to motherhood, and often totally devoted to a career all at the same time. Husbands are often expected to be as totally devoted to the home in parenthood as they are to their jobs. Young people are expected to follow a multitude of often conflicting guidelines laid down by parents, teachers, church, and peer group. The expectations are simply too diverse and demanding. Furthermore, those who impose the expectations usually lack both understanding of what they are doing and consistency in application.”
The demands of secular society are constantly changing, and are notoriously unstable. With each passing trend or fad, the plans of Americans are fundamentally changed. There is no lasting stability or consistency because God has been taken out of the picture. God, who does not change, is not consulted when plans for our lives are made. So we find ourselves running after whatever expectations society places on us at the moment. And then next year we find ourselves running in a different direction. The need for consistency is forgotten in the shuffle.
A loving God, like a good parent, is consistent with his children. His word does not change, but abides forever, (1 Pet. 1:24-25). His call is one of continuity, consistency and peace. He fills our needs because he is faithful, dependable and sure. —To be continued
-by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
