Many of us claim to love God.
We constantly tell Him how much we love Him and how much we can’t do without Him. We trust His
guidance and abide by His principles, trusting that He knows the best for us. While
some people discard the belief in God, others still hold unto it tenaciously;
they can go as far as martyrdom to defend the belief in God. The question now
is, what makes God (as an idea and as a being) necessary to humanity? Simply put,
why do we need God? And why do you, the reader, hold unto God, or why don’t
you?
God is good. So, do
you need God because He is good and thus desirable? Does it therefore mean that
because we humans have a longing for what is good and what is excellent, we need God because He is good,
excellent and perfect? Do we then need God because we need these finer elements of life?
Mortal existence is
almost entirely fateful. Sudden disasters and troubles constantly cause
turbulence to the human heart. The world, as we know, is no longer a safe
place. Is this why one must need God, why one must love God and must pray to
Him? Do we need God for security and protections, that our lives may not be
lost in horrible ways? Is God here only to save us? Had He no other purpose in
mind when He created us? Couldn’t we have assured God our total submission if
He had not assured us safety?
God helps us to succeed. Is
this why we should need Him—because we have some goals to achieve and we
believe God is the best instrument for such goals to be achieved? That means if
we had no desire to succeed in certain endeavors, there probably would have
been no desire for God. Is that true? Do we need Him because He is a God that
blesses His people? Do we need Him not because of who He is but because of what
He can offer us?
We, in our present age,
speak of God as if He is an instrument for humans to achieve their vain selfish
goals. Does God not also need us? Is He up there only for us that are down
here; and does God exist for nothing but our goals and needs? Who actually
needs who? I think God also needs us; He first needed us; that’s probably why
we were created. God needs us because He created and owns us, and we need God
because He is our creator and source, and because we cannot fulfill His purpose
for our lives without Him. This alone is why we need God. We need God because
He is God.
In our prayers, in our
worships, in our devotions, fewer thoughts should be given to our affairs, our
security, our wellbeing, and our various worries. But more thoughts should be
given to God—who He is and for what purpose He created us. We are not here to
use God, rather, God created us to use us.
God does not exist for man,
but instead, man exists for God. After all, God existed before we came into
being. There could not have been an entity called, “us” without God. We need
Him therefore because He needs us and requires our submission. If we can’t
reason that way, it is because we are still in the shell of ego, and thus keep
thinking that everything comes from us, is with us, and exists for us.
Our creator cannot be our
instrument. The instrument cannot decide the purpose of its maker. It seems
that humans have wanton desire to make God a means, and if possible, a servant,
but it can’t just work that way. However, the next time I go to God in prayer,
I will bow in humility and tell Him, “My maker, I’m all yours. Do unto me as
you desire and help me to do your will at all times.”
