I Need.....

We do not become less needy, less dependent when we pray; we become more needy, more dependent- which is to say, more human. When we pray we dive ever more deeply into the very human condition from which sin alienates us and Christ saves us.

-Eugene Peterson

It is by becoming more aware of our needs that we are more dependent on God. We tend to pull a shade over our eyes when we look at ourselves sometimes, leaving ourselves always in the right where we can't see the needs that are glaring at us.

It's hard to ask for what we need when we think we are doing just fine on our own.
But when you open yourself up in prayer, it is amazing what you discover- how much you need and how much of that is totally out of your control anyway. And yet, however much that might be, it is a burden God wants to take from your shoulders, so hand it over. Truly.
And don't think it is too much for God. We are the limited creatures; God has no limits and doesn't need us to hand over only bits and pieces. Take it all, God, including all those worries, fears, and anxious thoughts that tag along with those burdens.

I find that as I discover how much I need, my prayers shift focus toward more spiritual and thoughtful needs and away from the material. My sins will be there each time, to be sure. As a faulty human I will never be without needs. But when I really let my burdens go, I know they go into the hands of God. And that is exactly where I want my needs to be.

Nobody holds you like the hand of God. -Jeremy Casella