God, Remember Our Need

By Tommy Welty

“I’m fine. It’s all good. I’ve got this.” These are things I say when I am not fine, it is not good, and I do not in fact “have it.” Our culture teaches us to be self-reliant and limitless. Don’t know the answer? Ask Siri. Ran out of toilet paper? DoorDash it. Lonely? Upload a sixty second video to TikTok, and connect with two million friends. We are fine. All good. We got this.

Except, maybe not. No matter how self-reliant we think we are, our needs find us. Despite limitless possibilities, we experience loss, fear, depression.

Lamentations is a book of sorrowful prayers reminding us God is always faithful. In the dark valley of exile, the poet asks God to remember their homelessness because, “I continually remember them and have become depressed” (Lamentations 3:20).

In their time of desperation, the poet has hope. Why? Hope can seem senseless, but if we turn to the Lord, we are shown His faithfulness. The prophet prays, “Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, ‘The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him’” (vv.22–24).

We must learn to call out to God in our need. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He taught them to say: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). God is not holding out.

Have you ever watched birds? They’re not worried about dinner. God feeds them. You are worth more than birds. Have you ever seen a wildflower bloom in spring? The hills don’t coordinate outfits. God dresses them, and they’re gone by summer’s heat. You are more loved than wildflowers (Matthew 6:25–33). Our heavenly Father has given us much more than the early bird’s worm or wildflower superbloom. He has given us all of Himself. God is our portion.

When we call out to God, He remembers us according to His own unending love. Every night ends when the sun rises with new mercies from the Lord. In riches, in exile, laying in green pastures, in the darkest valley, sitting at the victory table: God is faithful. As King David himself said: “The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need” (Psalm 23:1). We are fine because God is good. He’s got us.