What Do You Need?
In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus encountered a blind beggar named Bartimaeus and asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The answer seems obvious. Clearly, the blind man wanted to see. Why ask this question? Maybe Jesus asked this question because there is value in putting our deepest desires into words.
What do people really need?
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow advanced a theory that people are motivated to satisfy a hierarchy of needs: physiological needs, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow’s theory has been presented so often that it has come to be regarded as scientific fact, despite the reality that it is based on observations that were colored by Maslow’s humanistic worldview rather than on empirical research.
Christians ought to view people differently. Human needs run far deeper than the self-focused cravings proposed by Maslow. Instead, our greatest needs may be truth, grace, hope, and action.
Truth, grace, hope, and action are foundational for our salvation. We turn to Christ because we come to know the truth about our sin and Christ’s sacrifice. Our salvation is made possible by our faith (hope) in God’s grace. This living hope makes an enduring impact on our actions.
Beyond salvation, we need truth, grace, hope, and action in varying degrees at various times throughout our lives. If people look and listen closely, our words and behaviors reveal which needs are most active in our lives.
Truth. Truth is the ability to perceive life accurately. The clarity of truth helps people make good decisions. Without truth, we stumble because we can’t see clearly.
In 2 Samuel 11 we find King David blissfully unrepentant about having impregnated another man’s wife before ordering his murder. Then the prophet Nathan opened David’s eyes by telling him a story with a vicious punchline. Nathan's presentation of the truth led David to an attitude of repentance that was necessary for restoring his fellowship with God.
People reveal their need for truth when their thoughts or words or behaviors are out of agreement with clear biblical teaching. They may think, “I’m worthless” when the Bible says they are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). They may say, “I can do whatever I want” when the Bible points to God as our ultimate authority.
Grace. Grace is unmerited favor, a good and generous gift that we have no right to expect. The gift of grace helps people forgive and be forgiven. Without grace we are continually tormented by guilt over our own sins and by anger over the sins of others.
The parable of the lost son found in Luke 15 illustrates grace. This son, who had demanded his inheritance before his father even died, returned from his journey into sin flat broke and utterly broken. But instead of condemnation, he was met with celebration. That’s grace.
People reveal their need for grace when they become stuck in self-condemnation or when they behave ungraciously to others.
Hope. Hope is the belief in a future filled with good things. Hope allows us to see God’s hand at work, even in our most desperate circumstances. Without hope, we lose the motivation to keep moving forward.
In Acts 16:27 we find a jailer with sword in hand ready to take his own life. He had no hope that his prisoners had not escaped when an earthquake had opened the doors of their prison. Paul’s words of hope to this jailer preserved his life and led to his salvation: “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here” (Acts 16:28).
People reveal their need for hope by words and actions saturated in despair and despondency.
Action. Actions provide evidence of transformation and allow new thoughts and behaviors to be strengthened through repetition. Taking action propels our lives forward, robbing our current circumstances of some of their power to control us. When we change our habits, our thoughts and feelings usually change as well. Without action, our lives are stuck in neutral.
The Bible is filled with stories of people who took actions that led them in new directions. Noah. Abraham. Moses. Elijah. Peter. Paul. The list of names is far too long to recite here.
People reveal their need for action when their current actions (or inactions) result in unhealthy or unholy consequences.
What do you need? Which need is most urgent in your life right now: The clarity of truth? The kindness of grace? The peacefulness of hope? New habits born of intentional action? Like Bartimaeus, putting our needs into words can start the process of healing from the blindness that so often keeps us in dark places.
(Posted by Jim Gant, PhD)
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