“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” -- Romans 11:35 (ESV)

"You got this!"

This is a common phrase thrown around in our culture today. We tell people regularly, and they will tell us back, that we can shoulder the responsibilities in our lives and challenges we face with all the tools we need. We can do it. We've got this.

This kind of self-sufficiency is prominent in a culture that doesn't depend on God for much, but prides itself in not being dependent. The truth is, nobody on earth is self-sufficient. Every person needs God for their next breath and for their very existence.

But God is different. For all of eternity God has needed nothing or nobody. He has no need at all. This boggles our minds because our frailty and weaknesses reveal we do have need. We have need of oxygen to live, food, and water. Without any of these things, we die. And we can't create any of these things. We depend on their existence for ours.

Not God. He depends on nothing for His existence. He depends on nothing for His satisfaction.

Our passage today reminds us that nobody has ever given God anything that He would be in our debt. No man has provided God something that God needed to give thanks for. Think about that. God doesn't even need us. Our existence doesn't make Him feel special or fill a hole of significance for Him.

Is this good news or bad news? It is the best news in the world. While God doesn't need us, or anything, God loves us. In fact, because God doesn't need us, it demonstrates that our worth to God isn't because He needs us. His desire for relationship with us is purely a gift to us. It tells us about the kindness of God, that while He needs none of us, He delights to reveal Himself to us and give us the experience of His presence.

Be satisfied today in the
God who has no need,
yet can meet your every need.

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Reflection & Journal:

- What are some things in your life you try to operate as self-sufficient, but need to ask God for help with?
- How does God's self-sufficiency reveal His nature to us? What are some things it shows us about God?
- How can God's absence of need help you to stand in awe of Him today? Will you marvel at the God who needs nothing, yet delights to show us His love?

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