Elisha answered, “Don’t be afraid. We have more forces on our side than they have on theirs.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and let him see. The mountain around Elisha was full of fiery horses and chariots.
2 Kings 6:16–17
When life starts to get hard, it’s not a bad thing to have God and no one else but God. When everyone has walked away, you can’t find a friend, and no human arms are there to hold you, then you can know that God has cleared a path straight to his arms. Because when you have all kinds of people to comfort you and everything you need to be soothed, then you don’t really need God, do you? You’re looking across the table instead of up to heaven.
Jesus didn’t come to save the healthy people who have everything they need but to save the sick, the frightened, and the worried. People who have it all don’t need him. But people who want something deeper, people who are being tested, who have been left alone, and who are living on a steady diet of pain and insecurity—these kinds of people are the ones who know what it means to need him and to be kept alive by him and him alone.
Each time you feel the sting of your so-called life, thank him that he is pulling you closer to him instead of to some earthly comfort that would just distract you from his presence. Don’t pray for more of what you want but for more of what you need. The truth is that what you need isn’t always the same thing as what you want. God’s desire for you equals your need. And what God wants is always the best. His love for you shows up in the tough times just as much as in the amazing ones—sometimes even more.