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Lacking Nothing

              Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  (James 1:2-5)

            Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)

            On my walk this morning, I found myself thinking about two of my felt needs. I need to understand, and I need to be in control. I need to lean on my own understanding, and to do that, I have to reduce creation and God to my level of understanding. I know I’m not alone in those needs and I also know that when the going gets tough, we tend to need them more. The challenge here is that our needs to understand and control aren’t needs that God can meet without His ceasing to be God, so the outcome must be our not needing them. As we willing to give them up? Not entirely, but ultimately? God has given us the ability to understand some, and to control some, but will our lack in either area come between us and God?

Today’s passage says that when the going gets tough, rejoice. Rejoice because the testing of your faith produces perseverance, and that leads to you not lacking what you need. Understanding and control are often not ultimately needed. Those are associated with denial. Negotiation, depression, and anger. Acceptance welcomes understanding and control but doesn’t need them.

As you read through Scripture, you’ll notice that trust and faith are vitally necessary. If you are in control or fully understand, you need not trust. But lacking complete understanding or control, you must trust. So in lacking what you think you need, you have the opportunity to gain what you really need.

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