Rashida Wright

Lessons About Depending on God

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 18:3 AMP

As I was watering my mom’s plants while she’s away, a thought crossed my mind. I was reflecting on my own life and how much it has changed over the last three years. I felt like the Lord was whispering to me that with Him, less is always more.

When we have less in our lives—fewer people, fewer relationships, fewer possessions, less money—we create more room for Christ. We make more time for Him because there are fewer distractions. We focus more on Him and the true meaning of needing Him.

When we have money, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a spouse, kids, and all the *things,* it becomes increasingly challenging to make time for Him. Despite having more in our lives, we end up getting less of what truly matters: more of Christ. We need more of His presence, His touch, and His attention. We need to cast our focus on Him to be truly fulfilled.

Think back to a time when it was dark, and you couldn’t see your way out. You didn’t know what to do, and all you could do was call on Jesus and rely on God alone to pull you through. In those moments, our dependency on Him is deep and desperate. When there’s nothing else to fall back on, all your hope and trust remain in Him.

Sometimes, when I listen to apostles, prophets, or deliverance ministers recount stories of mission trips, I’ve often heard them say that in “developing nations,” they witness the power of God in ways they don’t often see in America. They believe it’s because the people who attend these meetings have no backup plan. There’s no credit card, no loan, no human being to provide the kind of sufficiency they need for their desires. They are solely reliant on God. If He doesn’t do it, then it won’t get done.

²⁵ A woman [in the crowd] had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much [suffering] at the hands of many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse. ²⁷ She had heard [reports] about Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His outer robe. ²⁸ For she thought, “If I just touch His clothing, I will get well.” ²⁹ Immediately her flow of blood was dried up; and she felt in her body [and knew without any doubt] that she was healed of her suffering. Mark 5:25-29 AMP

It’s that kind of hunger they bring with them—the less they have, the more they see of God. Here in America, myself included, we don’t always get the opportunity to see the hand of God in the powerful ways He wants to show us. We become complacent because there’s always a way to take care of our needs. If we’re sick, we go to the doctor or the hospital. If we’re hungry, there’s usually somewhere to get food. If we need a loan or money, there’s always someone around us who has it or an opportunity to obtain it. We don’t hunger after God the way people in other countries do because we always have a backup plan.

Even when it comes to our emotional pain, people in other countries may not have access to therapists like we do. If they’re hurting emotionally or psychologically, their only counselor might be their pastor—and Jesus. This isn’t to make any of us feel bad or feel like we’re never doing enough, but the Lord has really been impressing upon me lately that having less is truly having more. I think these are some of the ways we can experience Him more fully. I believe He wants us to put away our backup plans and make Him the only plan, allowing Him to work as He sees fit.

Growing in Faith,

Rashida