The Poor in Spirit

God has put the way of animals in them, and we call it “instinct.”  They seem to know what they need without anyone telling them, and yet they rely on God to meet some of those needs.  If there is a drought, for instance, we see that the animals cannot dig wells or irrigate for themselves.  They depend on the water that God provides.

How does Man know what he needs? Since Man is made in the image of God, can he supply all his own needs . . . therefore not needing to rely on God at all? This is the question that crossed my mind tonight.

From the surface, it may appear that Man can feed and clothe himself, and procreate to further his species.  Some men need much in their lives while some men need little.  This therefore seems to bring a difficult matter to the mind and heart of Man; what does he actually need, and can he himself provide all that it is?

For example, if a man searches for happiness and fails to find it at work, can he make up for that lack by finding happiness at home? Can Man balance his own life successfully by determining what will have meaning for him if he cannot find meaning in something else? These questions seem to find their answer in the following;

Man cannot balance his life successfully.  Just as the animals need God’s provision, so does Man.  However, Man does not always need God materially.  Man does always need God spiritually, though, for Man has a spirit that needs to be fed and depends on God’s provision for those things we cannot see and cannot know.

God feeds our spirit with wisdom that guides us, for without God’s wisdom we would spend our lives on ourselves and our pursuits would leave us empty.

God teaches our spirit what goodness is so that we might discern our actions and eschew wrong motivations.  This causes us to love the life we live instead of holding ourselves in contempt, for a life lived in good ways satisfies the soul.

God opens our spirit to beauty so that we might know His nature as our Creator.  We feel a sense of security and of God planning for us and with us, and not a fear of being alone in this life.

God causes us to delight in His surprises.  This teaches our minds to be humble for they cannot know everything.  Our spirit learns to trust in the freshness of each new day and that His treasures of discovery far outweigh our control over life.

If we search all our lives we will never find all the ways we need God, and how lovingly He cares for us.  Jesus told us that the poor in spirit, those who are not self-sufficient, inherit the kingdom of God (Mt 5:3). It is those who need God who are made rich in Him.  Amen.