When you see a missionary at church with a microphone in their hands, you know what they will share—beautiful photos, stories of spiritual darkness, and stories of what God has done. Inevitably, their presentation ends with an ask.

“Will you pray about giving to this ministry?”

My wife and I are missionaries. And we ask. We get tired of asking, but we have needs.

Asking God First

Right now, we have needs. Our first child will be born in May. We need next year’s support budget to come in. We need a car seat for the USA. We need a car to put the car seat in.

We have needs, and we must ask—first God, then others.

The Topic of Need in American Culture

Need, however, can deceive us into feeling inadequate and incompetent. Need reduces our value in an American culture that calculates net worth. Need indicates something wrong and triggers discomfort. Wrongs must be righted; discomfort must be reduced.

Need means failure. But we forget that all things come from God and we are all completely needy.

Understanding the Topic of Need Biblically

In the NLT translation, the first Beatitude reads, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3).

We all must strive to feel our complete dependence on God.

Sometimes, we recognize the impure motivations when we share the gospel out of guilt or rejoice in someone believing because it validates our work. We need Him.

Sometimes, we see the need for a vehicle or a one-time gift or a car seat. We need Him.

Finding Peace in God

The key to life is to be content in Him even in our complete need, surrendering to His power to provide.

We have grown in trusting for all things to come from Him in our complete need—physical and spiritual. Some things come amazingly. Some things we wait for. We have more growing to do.

Are you feeling content only when you have what you need? Or are you recognizing your need in Him for all things and finding contentment in Him, even in your need?