Need, Then Supply
Insight’s from today’s Abide Above devotional
“Not as though I had already attained... but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)
There is a divine order in our growth: need, then supply. The Lord does not flood us with abundance before we recognize our emptiness. First, He reveals our lack—our utter inability to live the Christian life in our own strength. This realization may shake us, even discourage us at first, but in His wisdom, it is the very door to freedom.
The maturing believer learns that the shocking exposure of self is not a tragedy, but an invitation. It is the Father's way of leading us from self-reliance to Christ-reliance. We are not meant to despair when we see how much remains to be conformed to His image; rather, we are to rejoice that the supply has already been provided in Christ. Our lack is met in His fullness, our need in His supply.
Imagine a traveler lost in the desert, desperate for water. The thirst itself is not the problem—it is what leads him to the oasis. In the same way, when the Holy Spirit reveals the depths of our need, it is never to leave us barren, but to drive us to the overflowing sufficiency of Christ within. The danger lies not in seeing our need, but in stopping there. We must also behold Him, receiving by faith what He has already provided in abundance.
“I certainly do count everything as loss compared with the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8, WMS)
Prayer of Confidence
Father, we rejoice in Your perfect design. You have not left us in our need, but have filled us with the riches of Christ Himself. When we recognize our insufficiency, we lift our eyes to His sufficiency. When we see our weakness, we rest in His life. Thank You for meeting every need in Christ, for calling us beyond self-sufficiency into the joy of full dependence upon You. We walk forward today, confident that the One who has apprehended us will bring us ever deeper into the reality of His life within. Amen.
Final Thought:
Every recognized need is an invitation to draw from the supply already given in Christ. Let every lack be a stepping stone to greater dependence upon Him.