Seeking What We Need
Seeking What We Need
So often, we come before God with the desires of our hearts—earnestly praying, hoping, and believing. And indeed, we should! Our loving Father delights in hearing our prayers. He meets us in our deepest places and, in His kindness, often grants the desires that draw us closer to Him. When our prayers are answered, we feel seen, loved, and safe. These moments build intimacy and trust, and they deepen our personal relationship with Him.
But there is a deeper dimension to God's love—one that doesn't always give us what we want, but instead offers us what we truly need.
Want vs. Need: A Needed Awakening
In a world that is broken, confused, and longing for stability, humanity has spent far too long chasing its own desires. We cry out for comfort, success, and recognition, but we often forget to ask for what aligns with God’s will and our true purpose. To pray, “Lord, give me what I need”is one of the most courageous prayers a believer can pray—because sometimes what we need includes trials, transformation, and refining. Yet, these are the very things that shape us, strengthen us, and bring us into a deeper knowledge of God’s character.
Those who have walked through the fire and come out on the other side can testify: trials bring growth. They teach us wisdom, reveal God’s faithfulness, deepen our compassion, and cultivate a resilient faith. Through difficulty, we come to know God in ways we never could in ease. We emerge with spiritual maturity, unexpected friendships, sharpened vision, and a greater capacity to love and serve others.
What We Need: Not What We Want
This message was inspired by the article titled, “The Temple We Need, Not the Temple We Want” by Rabbi Elie Mischel, which challenges us to reexamine our assumptions about what we think we want from God. A powerful example of this can be found in the story of the golden calf.
When Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the Israelites grew restless and afraid. Feeling abandoned after 40 days without their leader, they demanded Aaron create a god they could see and serve.
“When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses… we don’t know what has happened to him.’” – Exodus 32:1
In their impatience, they asked for what they wanted—something visible, tangible, immediate. But what they needed was to wait, to trust, and to receive the divine revelation of God's covenant. Their request resulted in the golden calf, an image born from fear and misplaced longing. They did not realize what they needed was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God Giving Us What We Need: Not What We Think We Want
God was not simply giving Israel laws on Sinai—He was forming a new identity. They had been delivered from Egypt, from the chains of slavery and a culture steeped in idolatry. But their hearts were still healing from the trauma of oppression. Israel struggled to see God as loving and faithful; instead, they feared He would harm them, just as Pharaoh had.
“That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud… ‘Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?’” – Numbers 14:1-3
Like many who have been wounded, they found it difficult to trust—even when all God desired was to give them new life, freedom, and dignity.
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…” – Exodus 34:6
God’s covenant at Sinai was meant to bestow blessing,identity, and purpose. He gave Israel instructions not to burden them, but to bless them—to shape them into a holy nation, a people set apart to reflect His glory. A bride.
“If you fully obey the Lord you rGod… the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth… You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out…”– Deuteronomy28:1–6
God was offering a royal inheritance, but they couldn’t yet see past their fears to recognize the beauty of what He was giving them.
The King We Wanted: Not the King We Needed
Another poignant example appears in 1 Samuel 8, when Israel demanded a king to rule over them like the other nations. Though God Himself was their King, they rejected Him in favor of human leadership. God warned them that such a king would exploit their sons and daughters, take their harvest,and ultimately enslave them again.
“But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations…’” – 1 Samuel 8:19–20
“O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. I will be your King; Where is any other, That he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes? I gave you a king in My anger, And took him away in My wrath.” -Hosea 13:9-11
Time and again, Scripture reveals this pattern: we ask for what we want, but God, in His mercy, desires to give us what we need.
A Call To Ask For What We Need
Looking at the world around us today, we see chaos, fear,and division. These are the fruits of choosing our desires over God's sees we need. We are reminded once again to turn back, to ask for what brings true restoration,righteousness, and peace. To ask for what we need, rather than what we want.
Let us pray with humility and boldness:
- Lord, give us the Messiah we need, not the one we want.
- Give us the temple we need, not the temple we want.
- Give us the Kingdom we need, not just the version we want.
- Give us what we need to usher in the kingdom, even if it challenges us.
- Give us the laws and government we need, not simply the ones we want.
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince… Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the latter days.” – Hosea 3:4–5
Now is the time to seek not just what feel we want, but what brings in the Messianic reign we need. Not what looks glorious to men, but what brings glory to God.
Let us ask—not for the temple we want—but for the one God knows we need.
Let us ask for the King we need—the King of Kings.
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Image Used with Permission; Painting by Alex Levin – https://artlevin.com