God Knows What We Need

It’s amazing how much God knows I need something, even when I am not quite sure of it myself. Our loving Heavenly Father often gently reminds me of what I require to nurture my faith. I can’t recount the number of times that I have come across a Scripture passage in an unusual place – like a sticky note tacked inside a notebook, in a hymn or song I listen to, or in a piece of Christian fiction I am reading – only to find it absolutely applicable to what I am facing today.

Recently I came across this passage:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

Timothy definitely has some confidence issues. It is hard not to with the Romans on the rampage to destroy Christianity. There are pressures on all sides to abandon the faith. Also, Timothy is young, which causes some people not to heed the Gospel message he faithfully shares.

At least Timothy has Paul there to remind him that God had called him into service and given him the gifts he needs to serve where God put him. Like most of us, Timothy needs the reminder that God provides for us – giving us what we need, when we need it.

It’s interesting that the word Paul uses – “timidity” has numerous implications: lack of confidence, being shy, faint-hearted, or fearful. Paul certainly could be speaking to me as well. While I am more confident than I used to be, I still battle all those timidity qualities.

That’s why Paul’s words are very meaningful to me today – God doesn’t give us timid spirits; He gives us boldness to speak for Him. If He calls me into His service (which I know He has), then He provides what is needful – power, love, and self-discipline.

Let’s unpack those words:
Power
Let’s face it – we aren’t all given outgoing, powerful personalities. I certainly don’t have one; but God promises to give us the necessary confidence and character strength to accomplish His purpose in us.
I used to panic at the thought of speaking in front of adults. Give me a group of children to teach and I am fine, but leading a group of adults is unnerving. Yet somehow, I have ended up speaking to adult groups and leading women’s Bible studies. I fully realize that I can do so with God’s power alone.

Are there places in your life where you see God’s power at work? He gives us strength to face many challenging circumstances in our daily lives. Think of times when you were given the power to share God’s love in ways you did not expect.

Love
Power is great, but if it isn’t tempered with love, it can be more of a bully situation than a ministry one. Not everyone is easy to serve in God’s kingdom. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, it can be challenging to love some people. God does want us to love others – whether they are believers in Him or not.

Every year in the classroom there seems to be at least one child that poses innumerable challenges to the classroom environment. Daily I remind myself that this troubled kid is God’s child and needs my love, maybe even more than the rest. Over and over the Holy Spirit works in my life and in my heart to put fondness and tenderness for such difficult children there.

We need that same perspective now. If we want to serve like Timothy, we need the admonition as well to love God’s people, wherever they are at in their lives.

Self-discipline
At first it seems it seems odd that this trait is in this list. After all it makes sense to have power to convey the Gospel message with punch and of course loving your hearers makes sense. As I think about it, I realize that it’s pretty difficult to be a leader if we cannot control ourselves.

When opposition to the faith strikes it is easy to waffle and get off the path; but self-discipline – controlling our feelings and actions – makes all the difference. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, we can face opposition squarely in the face. We need to keep a cool head in the face of constant pressure to veer from the Christian faith.

What we need to remember most is that it is God giving us what we need – power, love, and self-discipline. Typically, we cannot manage these all ourselves and when we try to gain them in our own way it is often not successful.

We need God and thankfully He willingly gives us what we need to be His faithful servants.

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