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The Need-Meeter
17 Plays16 days ago
We all have needs—some that seem small, others that feel overwhelming. Too often, we hesitate to bring the “little things” to God, as if He only deals in life’s biggest crises. But the truth is, God doesn’t measure our needs by size. He cares deeply about every concern of your heart. Whether you’re struggling to make ends meet or simply trying to mend a broken heart, God is equally present and powerful in both. In this episode, we’ll explore how God gives His all for every need, reminding us that nothing is too small—or too great—for His loving care.
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Transcript
Does God Prioritize Our Small Struggles?
00:00:21
Christian McKenzie
Thank
00:00:22
brandon g b
Does the Lord care about the little struggles that we go through that nobody else sees, those struggles that are very small compared to the struggles of maybe our neighbors or other people across the world?
00:00:37
brandon g b
um You know, there's ah something that's happened in in ministry to me before where somebody said they had some kind of insignificant need.
00:00:49
brandon g b
It seemed insignificant, you know, like um maybe a colonoscopy or a hangnail or something like that.
00:00:55
Christian McKenzie
me Oh, that's not insignificant. That's a, who I pray about that.
00:01:01
brandon g b
Yeah, that's true. That's true. It does need a lot of
Jesus' Attention to Minor Afflictions
00:01:04
brandon g b
prayer. You know, we we won't we won't get into that. But this is off to a great start. um
00:01:10
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:01:11
brandon g b
Maybe not the best illustration.
00:01:12
Christian McKenzie
What'd y'all talk about on the faith one, six, eight podcast this week?
00:01:15
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:01:16
Christian McKenzie
Uh,
00:01:16
brandon g b
Yeah. Starting off strong. um No, there's there's a lot of struggles and and trials we go through that they they matter a lot to us, but like we're not dying, we're not starving, we're not destitute.
00:01:28
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm. Right.
00:01:31
brandon g b
And we may wonder if the Lord even cares about that. Well, on Faith 168 Podcast, we are going to dive into ah story in the Gospels where Jesus heals a man who, it seems like he could have gone to the ancient emergency room to get this problem taken care of.
00:01:35
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:01:50
brandon g b
And it was very insignificant compared to other people that had seemingly greater needs.
00:01:51
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:01:58
brandon g b
Like this guy wasn't demon-possessed. He wasn't a leper. He's the man We're told in the Gospels that had a withered hand.
Meet the Hosts: Brandon and Chris
00:02:07
brandon g b
i mean, like a withered hand really like not that big of a deal, you know.
00:02:07
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:02:11
brandon g b
But we actually learn from the passage we're going to look at, it is a big deal to Jesus.
00:02:16
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:02:17
brandon g b
And so we do welcome you to the Faith 168 podcast. We're glad you've joined us for another episode.
God vs. Politicians: Meeting Our Needs
00:02:23
brandon g b
and that's what we're going to talk about today is how all of our needs matter to the Lord, no matter how small they may seem.
00:02:31
brandon g b
to others and in comparison to what other people are going through. But just a quick introduction. The name of me is Brandon. That's great English. And we have Chris, of course, with us. How are you doing, man?
00:02:45
Christian McKenzie
I am doing great. It's wonderful to be recording another podcast episode with you and talking about what really matters in this world, in this crazy, crazy world where there's so many crazy things going on.
00:02:59
Christian McKenzie
i think this is a good day to focus on the one who truly meets our needs.
Jesus' Care for All Needs, Big and Small
00:03:05
Christian McKenzie
You might be thinking about some politicians right now and how they can meet your needs and They can't meet them like Jesus can.
00:03:13
Christian McKenzie
And so I think this is a wonderful podcast to get into today.
00:03:17
brandon g b
We should have started with that. That would have been a great opening trip.
00:03:20
Christian McKenzie
Oh, yeah, definitely.
00:03:21
brandon g b
Yeah,
00:03:25
Christian McKenzie
But we're still, if anybody's got a colonoscopy this week, we're praying for you.
00:03:29
brandon g b
yeah yeah, yeah.
00:03:30
Christian McKenzie
Sincerely.
00:03:31
brandon g b
All right. We'll try our best not to mention that word again. so But, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:03:36
Christian McKenzie
Now I'm going to mention it. Now you know I'm
00:03:40
brandon g b
We're setting a record here. Um, there's probably no podcast in existence that's mentioned at this many times, but, um, But yeah, Chris is right. you know There have been some recent elections that you know a lot of them turned a little sour for a lot of people.
00:03:55
brandon g b
But, you know, a lot of people look up to politicians to take care of their every problem, to put food on their table and clothes on their back. And I'm glad to know that we serve a Lord who takes care of his children much more abundantly.
00:04:08
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:04:09
brandon g b
And he's promised to do so in Scripture. And this enlightening episode from the life of our Lord Jesus in the Gospels shows us exactly that. Again, it is called The Man with a Withered Hand.
00:04:20
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:04:22
brandon g b
That's the title, ah your little heading in your New Testaments usually. um It's found in several accounts, and we're going to kind of look at Matthew 12 and Luke 6 back and forth.
Pharisees' Misinterpretation of Mosaic Law
00:04:36
brandon g b
But um a little context here. Let's talk about some context first. We don't just want to pull a verse out um randomly. So if you look at this in the Scripture, you see that...
00:04:49
brandon g b
Jesus is in another synagogue. ah He did a lot of things in synagogues, didn't he? You know, i preached that sermon in Luke about his being sent, ah quoting Isaiah.
00:04:56
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:05:01
brandon g b
ah He it works exorcisms in synagogues, so there's a lot of trouble going on in the ancient synagogues. And in this case, the scribes and Pharisees were there, and Luke 6, verse 7, for instance, says they were watching him.
00:05:16
brandon g b
Uh, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath. Now, Chris, you think they were trying to figure out if he was the Messiah, like watching
Jesus' Lordship and Sabbath Healing
00:05:26
brandon g b
him to observe, or why were they watching him, you think?
00:05:30
Christian McKenzie
They were really trying to catch him in some way that they could ah say, well, he's he's breaking the the mosaic law. This is grounds to where we can stop him, where we can shut him up, or we can kill him.
00:05:43
Christian McKenzie
They weren't watching him for the right reasons.
00:05:46
brandon g b
Yeah, correct. Yeah, it says there so that they might find a reason to accuse him. And all of a sudden, there's this fellow in the congregation gathered that Sabbath Saturday who doesn't have a name here.
00:06:02
brandon g b
We're just given his need. it says ah there was a man there with a withered hand withered hand and
00:06:08
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:06:09
brandon g b
Obviously, looking ahead, one of the reasons Jesus went ahead and healed this guy was to show that he was Lord of the Sabbath and that their interpretations of of the Mosaic law and institutions of strict regulations on the Sabbath were totally unbiblical.
00:06:26
brandon g b
I mean, this was a guy who had you know a need that Christ could take care of, and it wasn't a violation of the Sabbath to do that. But one of the takeaways that's always been amazing to me is, again, that a withered hand is really – I'm sorry, it's really not that big of a deal.
00:06:46
brandon g b
I hate to keep saying that, but –
00:06:46
Christian McKenzie
compared to a lot of the other things that he, you know, blindness, paralytics, dead, you know, all all these different things that were huge, you know, to think of a withered hand, that might be an inconvenience for a person.
00:06:54
brandon g b
yeah
00:07:03
brandon g b
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:04
Christian McKenzie
Now, in in that time, sometimes there were some social issues too, but for the most part, ah that when you put it on our type of scale, when we look at it back and forth,
00:07:16
Christian McKenzie
What's a bigger deal? This guy that's been laying on the bed for 40 years and hasn't moved? ah Or this guy that walks around and has to use his left hand for most everything because his right hand is withered?
00:07:28
brandon g b
yeah
00:07:30
Christian McKenzie
so
00:07:30
brandon g b
Yeah. Yeah. Like think through just for a minute, some of the inconveniences he would have faced. Like he probably still could have worked if he used his other hand. Um, if he was eating, he would have eaten them with one hand.
00:07:44
brandon g b
Uh, if he had to sign his name or something, he would have used his other hand. But I mean, he was walking, as you said, he wasn't lame. Uh, he wasn't blind, was he?
00:07:53
Christian McKenzie
hmm. No.
00:07:55
brandon g b
And he wasn't possessed by a demon either. And, I mean, what did the demons do to their hosts in the Gospels?
00:08:04
Christian McKenzie
They ripped them apart.
00:08:06
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:08:07
Christian McKenzie
ah Just I mean, just made them cut themselves and just crazy things.
00:08:13
brandon g b
Yeah. Yeah, like um in Mark chapter 5, as you mentioned, the Gerasene demoniac he cuts himself with stones. He cries out. He lives among the cemeteries. He has shabby clothing on.
00:08:27
brandon g b
mean, this guy seems to be doing very well other than he's got a withered hand.
00:08:33
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:08:35
brandon g b
And what I think is interesting is what does Jesus not say to this man that we might have expected him to say? What do you think?
00:08:48
Christian McKenzie
What does he not say to this man?
00:08:50
brandon g b
Yeah, like, ah like look, guy, you've got it good compared to other people.
00:08:54
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. ah Yeah. He could have said, you know, hey, there's sick people out in the road that I need to heal right now.
00:09:03
brandon g b
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:09:04
Christian McKenzie
Isn't that something, you know, ah hey, everybody has problems. Your problem isn't a priority.
God's Care for Small Problems
00:09:12
Christian McKenzie
And really think about that too, because his withered hand is probably a greater problem than a lot of things that we're facing today.
00:09:24
Christian McKenzie
Now, in that time and in that place, there were a lot of greater problems than his withered hand. But a withered hand isn't the same as it used to be because of our technology, our ways of being able to work around those things.
00:09:34
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:09:39
Christian McKenzie
There's no social structure that's, that is based off of, Oh, you, you must be punished by God to have that withered hand. There's a couple of nut jobs out there that believe that, but they're wrong ah for the most part on, on those ideas.
00:09:52
brandon g b
yeah
00:09:57
Christian McKenzie
And, and so I think that that's something we can learn when we look at this guy with the withered hand it is exactly what you're saying. What is Christ not saying to him? He's not saying this isn't worth my time.
00:10:14
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:10:15
Christian McKenzie
And it we can go further into our own lives and think of the needs that we have. And we might not have a withered hand. We might have a broken spirit.
00:10:26
brandon g b
Right. Right.
00:10:27
Christian McKenzie
we We might have had a very discouraging day.
00:10:33
brandon g b
Mm-hmm.
00:10:33
Christian McKenzie
And in the grand scheme of things, even looking at the withered hand, we would say that's not as worthy of notice And think about this as like a father to a child.
00:10:49
Christian McKenzie
And I think sometimes we don't realize how great of a father we have in God, that he does care about the small things. But if my child, if Maisie or Theo or Eloise, when she is born, when they come up to me,
00:11:08
Christian McKenzie
They might have a horrible problem. You know, Theo is eventually going to break his arm with the theatrics he's doing.
00:11:16
brandon g b
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:18
Christian McKenzie
And that would be a huge problem. And and I would care about it. But sometimes the other day, it broke my heart, he he left his teddy bear at the hotel we went to on vacation.
00:11:32
brandon g b
Oh, really?
00:11:34
Christian McKenzie
It was his favorite little teddy bear. It was a little beanie baby. And he sat in my lap, put his head against my chest. That's not a big deal compared to, say, like a broken arm.
00:11:48
Christian McKenzie
And he he let a tear drop down of his eye and he said, Daddy, I miss my teddy bear.
00:11:52
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:11:55
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:11:56
Christian McKenzie
And it broke my heart.
00:11:59
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:11:59
Christian McKenzie
Just the same as it would break for any other major event. And I had to get on Amazon and find that exact same teddy bear. And he he, oh, he was so excited when it got there.
00:12:08
brandon g b
yeah
00:12:12
Christian McKenzie
But that's a little problem, you know. But as his father, I really, really cared about that. Was it killing him that he didn't have his teddy bear?
00:12:24
Christian McKenzie
Did I have to get him a teddy bear to replace that one or even get the same one and and look that up online? And it turns out there are some vintage versions of this teddy bear that were like $1,500.
00:12:37
Christian McKenzie
So when I saw the first one say $1,500, I was almost like, ah, nevermind.
00:12:41
brandon g b
ah I still don't know what you lost.
00:12:45
Christian McKenzie
But Amazon's really good. and I found it for 10 bucks on Amazon. So, uh, so that I think, people feel to realize that God looks at us very similar. He instills that fatherhood into fathers based off of who he is as a father. Sometimes we stray a little bit from it and and vary, but, but the, the deepest part of love with as a father and child that the father has for his children, we find that is how God loves
God's Care Reflects His Love for Creation
00:13:20
Christian McKenzie
us. And,
00:13:21
Christian McKenzie
And that he looks at the paralytic and says, I care for the paralytic. And then he looks at the guy that has a withered hand and says, I care for the withered hand, ah for the guy with the withered hand.
00:13:35
Christian McKenzie
And then he looks at the person that's just down that day ah and says, I care for the person with a broken spirit.
00:13:46
Christian McKenzie
And that's, you know, I think that's a good way to understand who God is and how he meets our needs. And he takes care of us even when we think our needs are not that great.
00:14:00
Christian McKenzie
They are very important to him.
00:14:04
brandon g b
Yeah. That was a really good illustration. i may have to steal that for future use. um But yeah, like you say, it's All of our needs matter to God. that that's That's the overall point of this story because, again, he doesn't shoo this way a man. of this way a man Wow, that's backwards.
00:14:24
brandon g b
He doesn't shoo this man away. really I'm really struggling tonight. He says, stretch out your hand, and he heals him. He doesn't say, again, I don't have time for this, or you know have you tried physical therapy or a splint?
00:14:40
brandon g b
He heals him, and as you mentioned, It just teaches us that our father cares about all the needs of his children. And again, it may not be something significant like, you know, a death in the family or you just lost your job.
00:14:56
brandon g b
Maybe you're just running on empty. Maybe you're just tired or, as you mentioned, brokenhearted.
00:14:59
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:15:02
brandon g b
Maybe maybe you feel withered tired.
00:15:06
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:07
brandon g b
The Lord God commands and invites us to bring all those needs to Him, and He meets them in great abundance. And just because there are people around us, um in our family, among our church members, and our neighbors that do have very pressing needs,
00:15:25
brandon g b
needs like experiencing life-threatening situations, ah that doesn't mean like that God is too busy um to take care of what we're enduring.
00:15:33
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:15:36
brandon g b
um
00:15:36
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:15:36
brandon g b
Because this Christ who healed the man with a withered hand also did greater things, it seems like. I mean, he fed the multitudes with fish and loaves.
00:15:48
brandon g b
That's not what this guy needed.
00:15:48
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:15:50
brandon g b
um He calmed the raging storms for the disciples. This guy didn't need his storm to be calmed exactly. um
00:15:58
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:15:59
brandon g b
He didn't need an exorcism. he He didn't even need a resurrection like Lazarus. He just needed his hand restored.
00:16:05
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:16:07
brandon g b
And Christ was willing and able give him exactly what he needed. So...
00:16:13
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:16:15
brandon g b
So another passage i want us to look at is in Matthew 6. um This kind of shows us how personal and precise our Lord's care is of us.
00:16:27
brandon g b
um
00:16:30
brandon g b
In Matthew 6, this is the Sermon on the Mount, second chapter there. ah If you look at the passage on worry, which I have to look at a lot in verses 25 through 33, it um
00:16:43
Christian McKenzie
Mm hmm.
00:16:44
brandon g b
Are you open there?
00:16:46
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Yeah. What do you want me to read?
00:16:47
brandon g b
Okay. um Can you read verses 28 through 32? through
00:16:59
brandon g b
I think that'd be good.
00:17:01
Christian McKenzie
OK. And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
00:17:17
Christian McKenzie
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you ah little faith?
00:17:29
Christian McKenzie
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
00:17:44
brandon g b
So Chris, what do you think Jesus is saying there about God's care for his children? how Like how detailed it is?
00:17:53
Christian McKenzie
I think he he's saying right here that sometimes we get so anxious about the smallest needs. And he's saying, look at these very insignificant things in the world that you don't even think about sometimes that we trample underfoot and toss in the oven and the birds that, you know, fly in the sky and, uh, you know, how he, he provides for all of these, these different things in nature and of how much more value are we to him than those things. Um,
00:18:28
Christian McKenzie
that that he takes our needs seriously. And even if we think they're small and unworthy of his attention, his attention is on those needs.
00:18:40
Christian McKenzie
and And I think, you know, moving out to Illinois was a very big testimony for this because when I was moving out here, we didn't have kids, Katie and I didn't have kids at the time, but we wanted to have a family and,
00:18:55
Christian McKenzie
And that was one thing people warned us about. Hey, you can't go to Southern Illinois and survive in these small communities out in Southern Illinois and grow a family.
00:19:02
brandon g b
Mm-hmm.
00:19:05
Christian McKenzie
It's impossible. And I heard that and it worried me a little bit. It even so almost affected my decision making at times. But then as I prayed, God really revealed to me that I know you need those things.
00:19:19
Christian McKenzie
I know you need to take care of your family. I know you need to feed them. I know you need to clothe them. I know you need these different things to live. i can provide those things.
00:19:30
Christian McKenzie
Just do what I tell you to do, and I'm going to take care of you. I'm not going to let you falter. And let me tell you, not only did I go out there and come out into Southern Illinois and, and live and, and make it through the day.
00:19:47
Christian McKenzie
But I even thrived a bit. You know, I'm not a rich person, but he's provided so much for me and my family out here. And, and that's the thing is there's no need that is insignificant in our lives to God.
00:20:05
brandon g b
Right. Absolutely. I mean, Jesus says it comes down to the clothes on our back and the food we put in our bellies. God cares about that. and um And like you said, the illustration he uses is he's like, well, God takes care of all creation. It's not worried about it.
00:20:25
brandon g b
um
00:20:25
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:26
brandon g b
And what I've always said to our congregation is if Taking care of creation is on God's to-do list, his daily to-do list.
00:20:35
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:20:36
brandon g b
and Taking care of his children, the apple of his eye, is certainly on his daily to-do list.
Experiencing God's Personal Care
00:20:44
brandon g b
So, and that's just, I don't know about you, man, but that is so humbling every time I think about that because who am I?
00:20:51
brandon g b
You know, I'm nothing. I'm less than a worm, you know?
00:20:53
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:55
brandon g b
and So it's it's not only that, it's like I'm a sinner that's broken God's commandments. I should be the object of his wrath, not the object of his concern. um
00:21:05
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:21:06
brandon g b
And I think a lot about what David said in the Psalms, what is a man that you're mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him.
00:21:13
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:21:14
brandon g b
So my unworthiness, I'm like, why does God even think about me?
00:21:14
Christian McKenzie
That's a good one for that.
00:21:19
brandon g b
And then the other thing is, he seems kind of busy. I mean, God is not only caring for creation, um but as R.C. Sproul said, there's not one rogue ah molecule out in the universe, meaning God has his hand on everything down to the bare basic molecules.
00:21:40
brandon g b
He upholds the universe by the word of his power, according to Hebrews.
00:21:40
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:21:43
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:21:44
brandon g b
And even though he's doing all of that, he's still taking care of me. He's personally invested in my sanctification, my growth, and even down to the little stuff.
00:21:50
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:21:56
brandon g b
So very humbling.
00:21:56
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Well, and as it says in in Colossians to what Paul writes and in the first chapter of Colossians, that all things were created through Christ for Christ and all things through him are sustained as well.
00:22:10
brandon g b
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:11
Christian McKenzie
And we are the object that that his we are, you know, the prize of his creation. And if he sustains all things around us, how much more is he going to sustain the the prize of his creation?
00:22:26
Christian McKenzie
And and that's that's always encouraging to me because then you can face the biggest battles.
00:22:35
brandon g b
Mm-hmm.
00:22:35
Christian McKenzie
and realize that he is going to sustain you. ah You know, this past week, i had some difficulties that, that ah you know, I just felt really down about.
00:22:48
Christian McKenzie
And I thought some of these difficulties were just going to crush me. My heart hurt. ah My feelings hurt. and There were a lot of things that were hurting.
00:22:59
Christian McKenzie
And you would think that the God of all creation wouldn't have time to deal with my broken heart. But he didn't wait several days to deal with my broken heart. He he entered into that situation right then, right there.
00:23:15
Christian McKenzie
Within minutes, I started feeling at peace. I was able to talk to him about that. And isn't that the craziest thing? As you were saying, you know, ah an imperfect sinner worthy of wrath and hell has the attention of Almighty God.
00:23:32
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:23:33
Christian McKenzie
it It doesn't make sense to me, but I am so glad that that he does care. He cared for my heart, how I was feeling. And and i i don't I don't really have words to
Importance of Praying About Our Needs
00:23:50
Christian McKenzie
express how great that is other than say, man, it's wonderful.
00:23:50
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:23:55
brandon g b
Yeah, I mean, it just leaves you in wonder and awe. takes your breath away. And... anything that God does is supposed to elicit that response because the point of wonder is worship.
00:24:06
brandon g b
You know, when we think about how good God has been to us, considering how bad we've been to him, it's just like, God, I just thank you.
00:24:07
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:24:15
brandon g b
Um, what can I say?
00:24:16
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:24:17
brandon g b
What can I offer you? Um, now Now, let's kind of shift a little bit. um when we When we think about needs, one thing we're often guilty of is not laying them out before the Lord.
00:24:27
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:24:33
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:24:33
brandon g b
so So let's talk about some passages that address that. um But let me just first ask you, um what happens to us in our soul and in our Christian lives when we are dealing with something and we just kind of bottle it inside, don't pray about it, and don't take it before the Lord?
00:24:53
Christian McKenzie
Well,
00:24:55
brandon g b
You've never done that, I'm sure.
00:24:57
Christian McKenzie
never.
00:24:58
brandon g b
exactly.
00:25:01
Christian McKenzie
You bottled this up and I don't got a lot in it, so it won't be as good for this, but yes, shake it up and see, ah you can't really tell a whole lot about it, but right now this bottle went from being able to be pressed in to very tight and then you can hear it kind of crack open there, but say
00:25:03
brandon g b
but
00:25:22
Christian McKenzie
You had this thing filled up to here. And the more Coke you put in it, say the Coke is your problem. The more Coke you put in there, you bottle it up, you bottle it up, you bottle it up. Then it's too full and you start shaking it. What happens when that lid comes off?
00:25:36
Christian McKenzie
Explodes everywhere. It's a mess. It makes everything worse. I can tell you that. Have you ever had a problem in your life that you're like, I'll deal with that tomorrow and you didn't?
00:25:49
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:25:49
Christian McKenzie
And you're like, well, I'll deal with it later. and the the whole reason you don't deal with it later is you're trying to avoid it until it's just too late. ah You know, ah you do that with a parking ticket too long and keep skipping court.
00:25:57
brandon g b
yeah
00:26:02
Christian McKenzie
Eventually it you're going end up with a bench warrant and, and, be in jail. And so this small problem becomes a big problem. And that's the thing about our needs. Sometimes we we want to be very self-sufficient and we want to do things on our own ah or we're too proud to ask God or we're too scared to ask God.
00:26:26
Christian McKenzie
But God already sees these things. What he wants to do is meet us on these things. and And it's not that he's not already there. He wants us to realize he's there and he's ready and he's willing to help us with the smallest of needs that we have to the largest of
God Carries Our Burdens
00:26:45
Christian McKenzie
needs that we have.
00:26:45
brandon g b
Mm-hmm.
00:26:47
Christian McKenzie
He doesn't want us to bottle it up. He wants us to cast these cares upon him, which is the scripture I think I mentioned to you before we even got on. on this But, you know, cast your cares ah upon the Lord ah for he cares for you or you're in some versions. It says cast your anxieties upon the Lord for he cares for you.
00:27:10
Christian McKenzie
And, you know, that's a p song that that Peter quotes in first Peter. But it's so.
00:27:21
Christian McKenzie
damaging to a person to bottle up their needs and not take them before the Lord.
00:27:22
brandon g b
Yeah,
00:27:30
Christian McKenzie
Because what happens is the pressure builds up and everything explodes and it's worse off. But there's still good news. If we do that, there's not a mess that God can't clean.
00:27:41
brandon g b
yeah that's true.
00:27:43
Christian McKenzie
And so, you know, if you get to that point, there's never a too late point to turn to God and say, i should have brought this to you earlier.
00:27:52
brandon g b
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:53
Christian McKenzie
Just try to bring it to him earlier next time, you know.
00:27:56
brandon g b
I'm personally thankful that God forgives procrastinators. um
00:28:00
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Especially every time camp comes around and you're always the last one there by like hours to a day.
00:28:02
brandon g b
But
00:28:06
brandon g b
I'm the last one, man.
00:28:08
Christian McKenzie
No, no.
00:28:09
brandon g b
Yeah, the last shall be first. I mean, that's a verse I live by. So no maybe missed
00:28:13
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Oh, man, I made my Coke flat.
00:28:16
brandon g b
Yeah, I know. I was like, honestly, as good of an illustration as that was, I wouldn't have ruined that much Coke with it.
00:28:17
Christian McKenzie
ah Yeah, only a couple drinks left, but yeah.
00:28:24
brandon g b
But man, you're on fire tonight, though. You've already had like two really good illustrations. So I'm going to I'm going to give one to try to one up you. OK, probably won't work.
00:28:33
Christian McKenzie
right, let's see, and I'll come up with another one.
00:28:36
brandon g b
OK, OK. So um I think a lot of our listeners, I know you know this, but a lot of our listeners know I like to go backpacking. Well, I remember like the second or third time I went, I didn't know you're supposed to bring a water filter.
00:28:43
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:28:51
brandon g b
So I went with a buddy who's a bodybuilder, like much stronger than me, which that's not saying much. A pipsqueed could be ah stronger than me. um So i was like, all right, we're going to be out here these next couple of days. Let's bring all the water we're going to need.
00:29:07
brandon g b
Now, I don't know if you've ever been backpacking before, but that takes a lot of water. There's water for hydration, obviously water for coffee in the morning, water for cooking your meals.
00:29:12
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:29:18
brandon g b
And so there were gallons of water in that bag. And also didn't utilize the hip strap, which is supposed to offset the weight on your shoulders.
00:29:22
Christian McKenzie
Uh-huh.
00:29:26
brandon g b
And we were only walking probably two miles. And I had this huge heavy pack on me just bearing down into my shoulders. And my buddy, who is stronger than me, was walking beside me. He said, man, you need me to carry that a while.
00:29:42
brandon g b
I can tell it's just killing you. And I was like, you don't know how long I've been waiting for you to to ask me that. And so I took the bag off, let him carry it. But it's like i was needlessly struggling for two reasons, right?
00:29:57
brandon g b
I was carrying something I shouldn't have been carrying in the first place. And then I was carrying it by myself when I had somebody stronger than me who offered to carry it.
00:30:08
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, that's good.
00:30:08
brandon g b
And that' that's, that's the way it is with burdens and our needs. You know, there's some burdens we were never even meant to bear. Uh, some things we weren't even like, we're not even supposed to worry about, but we do worry and we do have anxiety. But the thing is our God walks beside us and his shoulders are a lot stronger than ours.
00:30:28
brandon g b
And it's wise for us on this path of righteousness to let him carry those burdens.
00:30:28
Christian McKenzie
Yes, I'm in.
Distinguishing Needs from Greeds
00:30:35
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:30:35
brandon g b
Uh, And they the verse you quoted is perfect for that. It it literally says, cast your cares on him because he cares for you. I mean, what greater motivation um do we need than to let God care for our cares because he cares for us?
00:30:44
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:30:47
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:30:51
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:30:52
brandon g b
So...
00:30:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:30:54
brandon g b
But yeah, and you know, there's there's a promise in Scripture, um we'll round up with this, where God promises to meet all of our needs um in Philippians 4.
00:30:55
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:08
brandon g b
ah By the way, Philippians 4 is another great passage on this, you know, 4, 6, where he says, don't be anxious about anything.
00:31:11
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:16
brandon g b
I was like stunned by that when I read that verse as a new believer.
00:31:17
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:31:21
brandon g b
I was what are you talking about, man?
00:31:22
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:23
brandon g b
I'm anxious about everything. you know
00:31:26
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:28
brandon g b
you But he says, in prayer, with supplication and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. That's the antidote. um
00:31:35
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:31:36
brandon g b
He says, God will fill you with peace. But if you look at the end of Philippians 4, verse 19, what does the Lord say to us through Paul there?
00:31:49
Christian McKenzie
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
00:31:57
brandon g b
So what is God promising there? you were distill that down.
00:32:02
Christian McKenzie
That he'll take. He'll take care of our needs. And it's for his glory and through his glory. And, you know, it's a testament to how strong and how faithful he is to us, even when we are not strong and oftentimes not faithful to him, that that he does these things simply because he is good.
00:32:28
brandon g b
Yeah, yeah absolutely. um And, you know, i think that verse is worth unpacking.
00:32:41
brandon g b
It says he will supply them. There's no um maybe, there's no uncertainty there. This is an oath from God that he's sworn. It's a promise.
00:32:51
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:32:51
brandon g b
And Paul says, how many needs will he take care of?
00:32:58
Christian McKenzie
Every, every need.
00:32:58
brandon g b
Every needed voice.
00:33:00
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:33:01
brandon g b
Now,
00:33:01
Christian McKenzie
Those are two good words to to underline there. Will every. Yep.
00:33:05
brandon g b
absolutely. Now, he doesn't say greed, though, does he?
00:33:09
Christian McKenzie
No, no. I think that's something that people often get confused about. ah You know, like also the scripture, the scripture is b blanking on my mind, but I remember the words you have not because you ask not.
00:33:24
Christian McKenzie
ah And you also ask amiss. ah And the the thing is that when we lift up these prayers to God, we're were in conformity to his will.
00:33:36
Christian McKenzie
We're asking for his will to be done, not our desires to be taken care of. And his will is that our needs be met. And he knows what our needs are.
00:33:48
Christian McKenzie
I don't need a red Ferrari. I want one.
00:33:54
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:33:54
Christian McKenzie
I don't need a million dollars in the bank account. I need to put food on the table at my house for my wife and my children.
Aligning Our Desires with God's Will
00:34:04
Christian McKenzie
I don't need a mansion.
00:34:07
Christian McKenzie
i need something to keep the rain off of my children's head and some way to keep them warm. and And I think sometimes we get our wants and our needs confused quite often.
00:34:20
Christian McKenzie
and And so, ah and as you say, are g agreed our are needs, not our greeds.
00:34:28
brandon g b
Yeah.
00:34:28
Christian McKenzie
And that's that's a very important distinction to make.
00:34:34
brandon g b
Yeah, absolutely. he he's He's not promised to give us everything we want, but everything we need, as you mentioned.
00:34:40
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:34:40
brandon g b
But I love how you mentioned that this is why we always pray in accordance with God's will, where we say, your will be done. And many people don't know this, but that's actually why we say, in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
00:34:53
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:34:53
brandon g b
Because at the end of the prayer, we're saying, Lord, everything I've asked for, it may be agreed. It may be a want. And so if it's in your will to give it to me, I'll give you thanks.
00:35:01
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:35:05
brandon g b
If it's in your will to withhold it from me, I give you thanks because I'm acknowledging your will is better than mine, better than what I want.
00:35:13
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:35:13
brandon g b
and And it is, you know, I mean, ah somebody once said, um ah God gives us, ah I'm talking butchering quotes, I'm going butcher one.
00:35:24
brandon g b
God gives us what we would want Him to give us if we were just wise enough to want it.
00:35:28
Christian McKenzie
who Yeah.
00:35:30
brandon g b
So, you know, His will is always better. And it's hard to accept sometimes, too.
00:35:34
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Well, and the more time we spend with him, the more that our heart aligns with his will. And so our desire becomes his will.
00:35:47
Christian McKenzie
And there are things that I've really wanted in this world that as I prayed and prayed and prayed, uh, the more time I prayed about, the more time I spent in his word, the more my heart aligned with his will.
00:36:01
Christian McKenzie
I never wanted to be a pastor. I wanted to go overseas and be a missionary. And yet as I spent time with God, even though my desire was to be a missionary,
00:36:15
Christian McKenzie
all of a sudden my desire went from being a missionary to being a pastor because that's what his will was for my life. And now i say, i don't want to be a missionary.
00:36:27
Christian McKenzie
I want to be a pastor. Why do I want to be a pastor?
00:36:28
brandon g b
yeah
00:36:30
Christian McKenzie
Because God wants me to be a pastor.
00:36:33
brandon g b
Yeah, absolutely. and And you were actually alluding to a verse in the Psalms where says, commit your way to the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
00:36:43
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:36:43
brandon g b
It's like, wow, he will. He'll give me everything I want.
00:36:45
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:36:46
brandon g b
Well, when you commit your way to the Lord, he will because he'll change what you want, you know.
00:36:47
Christian McKenzie
but
00:36:50
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:36:53
Christian McKenzie
And that's that's what he does. He changes our heart and makes it more like his. and and And ah we follow in the footsteps of Christ. If we're going to follow Jesus, truly follow him, commit our ways to him, we're going to go where he goes. We're going to do what he does, ah not what we want to do or where we want to go or whatnot.
00:37:14
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:37:16
brandon g b
yeah absolutely. And one last thing I want to mention on the end of verse 19 is a lot of people pass over this phrase, but I love to expound this because it's so encouraging. It says, What does that mean? Well,
00:37:31
brandon g b
by christ jesus what does that mean well it's It's a distinction. if If Paul had said will meet your needs out of his riches, that means he's just picking a little bit out of what he has and giving it to you.
00:37:47
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:37:47
brandon g b
But in accordance means in accordance with the measure of riches that God has.
00:37:47
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:37:52
brandon g b
And i always use this illustration. um If you're poor and you go to Elon Musk for some money,
00:38:00
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:38:01
brandon g b
And he writes you a check for 10 bucks. Guess what? He's giving you out of his riches because he could give you a whole lot more, couldn't he?
00:38:11
Christian McKenzie
who
00:38:11
brandon g b
But if he wrote you a check for 10 million, which is still kind of low for him, um he would be giving you lunch money pretty much.
00:38:17
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. like 10 bucks for him. Yeah.
00:38:22
brandon g b
If he gave you $10 million dollars when you asked for it, he would be giving you riches according to the wealth that he already possesses. It's it's in proportion to it.
00:38:33
brandon g b
And so Paul is promising, really God is promising us in this verse, that God meets our needs abundantly. He goes above and beyond. um He gives us what we need in accordance with the great wealth that he has.
00:38:43
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:38:48
brandon g b
um
00:38:48
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:38:48
brandon g b
And again, we don't want to misread that and think that God can make us rich. If he wants to, he will. But again, he meets those needs, not those greeds, and he does it abundantly.
00:38:59
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Oh, and then taking Elon Musk there, elaborating or, You know, going further with that analogy, you know, ah his wealth is so vast that you can take other very wealthy people that have wealth that's very vast compared to ours.
00:39:22
Christian McKenzie
And their wealth is like a speck of dust compared to his wealth.
00:39:25
brandon g b
Mm-hmm.
00:39:27
Christian McKenzie
And think of the glory of God and and how vast his glory is. It's endless. that That there's not a problem that his glory, that his riches, that that you could say any problem is even big.
00:39:47
Christian McKenzie
And so really, when it comes to it. In the eyes of God, all problems are really small and easy problems that he can take care of and he wants to take care of.
00:40:00
Christian McKenzie
and And that's it's the same way as I was talking about with my children. They can have things that we would say are big problems and things that we would say are small problems.
00:40:12
Christian McKenzie
But I'm big enough to be a part of those problems and take care of those problems. And I give the same amount of care to each of those problems. And so when we think of how vast God's riches and his glory are, there's not a problem that's considered too big or too small for God.
Encouragement to Trust in God's Promises
00:40:37
brandon g b
and Absolutely.
00:40:37
Christian McKenzie
or Or too difficult. Yeah.
00:40:39
brandon g b
Yeah, yeah. i was I was telling our congregation Sunday night, I said, there's no burden too heavy for him to lift um and also no burden too light ah for him to carry.
00:40:51
brandon g b
um So because, you know, we were talking about Peter's mother-in-law who was sick with a high fever, according to Luke. And it's like, he could have said so many other things like, I'll just give it a few days, just let her sweat it out, you know.
00:41:05
brandon g b
She'll get over the fever.
00:41:05
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:41:07
brandon g b
And says he stood over her, rebuked the fever, and she was made well. So, so many instances of our Lord's powerful and precise and personal care of His people.
00:41:19
brandon g b
And we hope that encourages all of you guys listening and tuning in. Whatever needs you have, God's promised to meet it. And He encourages and commands you to lay those needs out before Him in the place of prayer um to receive that peace that surpasses all understanding. So, um any final thoughts, Chris, on on this general topic?
00:41:43
Christian McKenzie
He's a need meter.
00:41:45
brandon g b
He's the need meter. Absolutely. And that title is taken from 40 Days with Jesus. Let me get my arm right here, this book behind me. um This is a devotional I wrote, I think it was earlier this year, and it's got some of that material we've covered today um in one of the chapters.
00:42:04
brandon g b
So...
00:42:05
Christian McKenzie
Theo signed it for you.
00:42:08
brandon g b
That's beautiful, man. That's way better than my signature. I'm to start doing that for every person to ask me to sign it. That's amazing. So anyway, you can get it on Amazon if you want.
00:42:20
brandon g b
And I pray that it will encourage you and and help you to walk with Jesus 168 week.
00:42:25
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:42:27
brandon g b
So we appreciate you all tuning in. Share this video and podcast with your friends. Share it on social media. um If you have any questions about some things we talk about or even things we haven't covered, send us a message on our Facebook page.
00:42:42
brandon g b
um We'll probably do for like a Q&A episode pretty soon where we tackle tackle some Bible questions.
00:42:47
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:42:48
brandon g b
So um we definitely listen to you and and read your comments and and read those messages. So But anyway, we're going to sign off with prayer. And Chris, why don't you pray for us and give thanks to the Lord.
00:43:04
Christian McKenzie
Father, thank you so much for this time that we can have to to just fellowship together and and talk about your word and and share it with those that would listen to it.
00:43:16
Christian McKenzie
Father, we just thank you so much for meeting our needs, no matter how small or how great they are. You are concerned about us. You care about us. And you want to help us out.
Closing Prayer and Gratitude
00:43:28
Christian McKenzie
Help us to to be more humble in some of these things, to to really give you what is on our heart and and cast our cares and our anxiety upon you, knowing that you do care for us and you want to help us out, whether it be with a broken heart or a withered hand or something even like paralysis.
00:43:54
Christian McKenzie
Father, you're concerned about all of these things equally and want to help us out. So, Father, we trust you and and we love you and we thank you for meeting our needs today.
00:44:06
Christian McKenzie
And Father, we just pray that those that have listened today would get a blessing from this, that that this would be something that they could share with other people around them, that that you can meet needs and very specifically the greatest need that all of us have.
00:44:22
Christian McKenzie
the need for the forgiveness of our sins that only your son Jesus can provide. We thank you for that greatest need that you have taken care of in your son Jesus for us.
00:44:34
Christian McKenzie
We love you. We thank you. And we just lift all of these things up in the name of Jesus. Amen.
00:44:41
brandon g b
Amen.
00:44:43
Christian McKenzie
All right, y'all have a good day. We'll see you next week.