Do I Really Need God?

 

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live yon all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. (Acts 17:22-27 ESV).

 

Our question today is another one that is often asked in different ways. For some it is at the root of the declaration of the declaration that “God helps those who help themselves.” Or, it may even be an expression of the philosophy that “we must pull ourselves up by the bootstraps.” Some in our present culture see it even more differently. Recently I had a conversation with a millennial who did not really feel a need for God. He was well educated and had a good-paying job, so he figured, “Why bother with God?” More than 30 percent of the people in North America think the same way and claim to have no religion whatsoever. Their lives are full, and they believe there simply is no need for God, religion, or the church.

 

No need for God? According to the Bible, every human being needs God from the moment we are born until we die. We are dependent on God for every single breath we take and for every step we take. That’s what the apostle Paul said to his audience in the city of Athens, “God . . . gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (v. 25). There was no need for the many gods the Athenians had invented. The God of heaven and earth takes care of all of life for all of us.

 

Whatever we may think, you and I need God more than we will ever know for this life and for the life to come. Ask God today to open your eyes, and receive him as your Lord and Savior. Don’t care how strong or smart you are… bootstraps cannot be used to pull yourself up!