God Wants God Beyond Just Meeting Your Needs

There are two things I want to talk to you about today concerning prayer.  Two of the primary  motives in prayer are need and desire for God.   When you have a desire or a passion for God you will NOT allow anything to stop you from PRAYER.  When you have a passion for God you live for the moment that you can go to God in prayer.  He is never far from your thoughts.  You are in communion with him through out your day.  Prayer is your passion, and prayer comes easy it is your delight.   You have a real hunger for God.    This is God's perfect will for us and what he desires for us that our prayer would spring up from a heart that has a genuine passion for his presence.  There are places in God that you CANNOT go until you have a heart felt passion for God.  There are battles that you will NEVER will until you have a consuming passion for the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT.  There are new levels in God that you will never know or begin to even understand until you have a hunger to spend time with God in prayer.   As the Scriptures say: 

Mark 12:30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.

The second reason that motivates us to pray is our needs.  When we get in time of crisis or time of stress we begin to pray.  Most people have only experienced this level of prayer.   They pray when they are particularly stressed or have a greater need.    It is like that child that only calls home when they have a need.   You may get your NEEDS met that way, but you have to understand that God wants to bless you FAR BEYOND your needs.    You will miss the extended blessing and provisions that God has for you far above and beyond your needs if you do not have a passion to seek Him. 

We see the story of two sisters in the Bible here, and Jesus is coming to their home.  Martha was fixing diner, but Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.  Martha was focused on the NEEDS, but Mary was consumed be a PASSION for Jesus.   Martha complained that Mary was not helping out in the kitchen, but Jesus said that Mary had chose the better part.    Martha was need oriented,  Instead of having a passion for Jesus, she was a need oriented person.  Here are the      things that kept her need oriented, and hindered her passion for God

Luke 10:38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40But Martha was cumbered about with much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

First we see here that Martha was cumbered about with much serving.  Other synonyms for that word cumbered are distracted, worried,  and busy.  If you want to have a passion for God you are going to have to do something about your distractions, your worries, your business, you are going to have to put GOD above everything else.   A person who is need oriented is distracted, cumbered, busy.  A person who has a passion for God puts all of that ON HOLD and sits at the feet of the master.  We get so busy trying to MEET the needs,  than we fail to get the needs met, SO we pray one of those prayers in our time of NEED saying GOD HELP.   Then he meets that need.  Meanwhile, if we had chosen to lay aside our business, and our distractions and our worries and sit at the feet of Jesus, not only would he have taken care of our needs, but he would have went BEYOND that and blessed us with every good thing even above what we have need of.    It is time to change our lifestyle from being need oriented, to having a sincere passion for God. 

Second we see here that Martha was questioning if God really cares.  Why did she do this?  Many people do this.  It is because when we lay aside passion for God to try to 'take care of things' by our own strength we ALWAYS come up short.  Does God really care?  Are you working, and striving, and going 72 hours a week and still your needs are not met.  Don't look at God and say, "Don't you care?"  Look at your self and say, "I have to lay down my cares and have a passion for God before God brings me an abundance."   When we don't have a passion for God, we become critical of him.  I've never met a person that sought God with ALL their heart, ALL their soul and ALL their strength that was not completely satisfied with him. 

Third we see that she was angry cause no one wouldn't help her.   When you are need oriented you are always going to be griping that you have to do it ALL yourself and don't nobody every help you.  Why does this happen?  Because need oriented people NEVER run out of needs.  If you live your life to just put out fires all the time and working on what the need is, you will find that you always have more than you can do because the needs NEVER end.  We have got to let go of the idea that we have to FIX everything.  You do not have to FIX everything.  You don't have to be the one to meet every need.   He said to Martha only ONE THING IS NEEDED, and Mary chose it, and it won't be taken from her.  All the needs you see?!?  We don't have to focus on those, just like Jesus said, sitting at his feet is the ONLY THING really needed. 

41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things:

42But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

 Are you need oriented in life?  If so than YOU WILL BE need oriented in your prayers to God.  We have to go past a need based life, and live a life of passion for God.  When God becomes your need and your passion not only will your needs get met, but God will open the doors of blessings to you above and beyond your wildest dreams.