The Need

The other day I had the opportunity to visit with a family who was young in the faith.  They are struggling financially.  They husband and three sons are doing everything they can to make it from day to day.  They are behind on their bills and cannot make enough money to stay ahead of the game.   Due to a change in weather patterns this past year in Africa, they crop which they usually harvest has not yielded what is should have this year, and there for they are not able to make an income off of it.  The wife is teaching in a Christian primary school here in Wotutu trying to help her family.  Upon arrival at the home of this dear Christian family, we walked in, there were dirt floors of a 12 x 8 room.  There was a bench in there that they asked us to sit on, which would be equivalent to our couch.  In one corner of the room there were pots and pans that were used for cooking with their stove being outside.  When I say stove, what I mean is a small circular fire pit big enough to hold a tea kettle to heat water or put one frying pan on.  When we talked to the gentlemen in need of a crop to harvest, and his need for financial assistance.   He seemed very sad, discouraged, and depressed.  Things seem to be going all array since the economic downturn.  He had not even been able to call his wife, because he was working from the breaking of dawn till in the hours of the night trying to make what little money that he could.  The problem was not that he did not have a few minutes before he went to bed, but that there was not any electricity in the house where he was staying, therefore he could not charge the cell phone that he did have.  He would have to walk some miles to the next village just to charge his phone.  He was too worn out to do this.  This saddened my heart very greatly, seeing the state this man and his family was in.  I am not sure if or how much the church was able to aid him financially, but one thing we were able to help him with was encouraging him to keep pressing on and the God would see him through.  We prayed to God on behalf of him and his family and after the prayer, you could see this man’s spirits lift some.  We left with him waving goodbye with a smile on his face as we drove away. 

                The need usually looks financially, which is important to live.  You have to have money to eat, to pay bills, etc.  You see a lot of poverty here in Africa, as well as you can see in many places of the world.  Each person has their own struggles and difficulties, and their need may be different from place to place.  The real NEED however is the same for everyone.  We all need the Savior (1 Tim. 2:4).  We all need the comfort that only God can give (Phil. 4:9).  So my prayer is that God may supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).  But most of all I pray that you receive your greatest need and that is Christ.  I pray that you will obey his will in believing in His name (John 8:24), that you repent of your sins (Acts 17:30), that you confess Him as your Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:9-10), and that you are baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21) so that you can meet the greatest need in the world - Salvation.  May God bless your day today!