Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Psalm 86:1
Hierarchy of Needs
Remember studying the hierarchy of human needs? According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, humans have lower and higher-order needs, from basic physiological needs (food, water, and shelter) to psychological needs (safety and belongingness) to fulfillment needs (self-esteem and creativity). Of course, a person cannot survive without his or her basic needs being met, and not everyone reaches higher levels of self-actualization. While scientists debate the relevance and applications of this theory, the premise is sound: human beings have needs they cannot fulfill on their own.
Our best thinkers, scientists, engineers, agriculturalists, artists, and teachers have greatly benefitted society. However, textbooks and technology can only take us so far. Chasing manmade theories to find truth leads to more theories. Going down rabbit holes to find truth leads to deeper rabbit holes. Man can educate himself, but what is creativity without meaning, technology without noble purpose, information without understanding, or education without a calling? Knowledge and wisdom are not synonymous.
Our needs go far beyond the physical and psychological. We cannot intellectualize ourselves to fulfillment. As a recovering academic myself, I know full well that human reason and empirical study are subject to bias and error. We are created beings with limited capacity, trying to ascertain the depths of our own needs. Imagine birthing a baby and then asking the newborn what it needs. Even worse, ask a toddler or a teen! And if an adult is privileged enough to reach Maslow’s self-actualization stage, he would still be lacking at his core. Indeed, we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image, designed to need him at all levels—in spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20
We Need Food, Water, and Shelter
Spiritual hunger pangs and parched souls can only be satisfied supernaturally. That is why the Word of God is the necessity of life. It reveals how the Father provides food, water, and shelter for survival.
First, the Word is sustenance. Consider the Prophet Jeremiah’s declaration:
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16
When we partake of the Word, we realize that God is the Creator of heaven, earth, and all living things. We understand that survival depends upon every Word that proceeds out of his mouth (Matthew 4:4). Also, being called, we find our identity and purpose in him. God’s Word is high in nutritional value, so we can rejoice with every morsel of truth!
Second, God’s Word is like water, spiritual irrigation. Recall how the Lord spoke through the Prophet Isaiah:
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
God pours out his Word to accomplish his purposes. When the Word falls on the fallow ground of our hearts, we flourish and grow. His love overflows, and he can do more than we could ask or think. Moreover, we find shelter in his Word. Being fully exposed to the elements of human and spiritual wickedness, we are left extremely vulnerable. In God, however, there is safety and security. Rest assured: he is our hiding place and a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
And so, God meets our basic needs, which transcend the physical and psychological. When we feast on his Word, we ultimately find purpose in pursuing knowledge and meaning in a mad world. Life itself is God’s classroom, and we are ever-learning to thrive in him.
We Need Light, Love, and Freedom
There is nothing new under the sun. No matter how much worldly knowledge we acquire, it cannot bring true enlightenment. We are blind men and women in desperate need of light, for without God, we tread in utter darkness.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:5
Light illuminates the truth, revealing God’s glory, while worldly knowledge exalts human intellect.
We also desperately need love, having been ill-trained to give or receive it. True love is not about how much we are willing to give but how much we are willing to give up (John 15:13). Even though the Father provided for man’s basic needs—through his Word—people could not obey his laws and keep his commandments. Indeed, human beings have fallen and continue to fall short. Therefore, God intervened out of love, giving up his beloved Son:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life
John 3:16
God knew his Son would be despised, rejected, and murdered by the people he was born to save; nevertheless, the Father sent him. We have always needed true love—God’s merciful, sacrificial love. And finally, we need freedom. People try to intellectualize their way out of physical, psychological, and spiritual chains. They spend decades seeking answers to life’s greatest mysteries but refuse to accept the truth: without the Son, we are slaves to sin. No new theory, technological advancement, or philosophy can free us.
Life itself is God’s classroom.
Self-Actualization or Self-Sacrifice?
The highest levels of Maslow’s hierarchy focus on self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and self-development. In other words, human potential is contingent upon self-actualization. While I can appreciate Maslow’s premise, a fully actualized person still needs something beyond himself. We understand our deepest needs by denying ourselves and submitting to God’s hierarchy. While God has graciously given us the capacity to learn, reason, and develop, we must keep our studies in perspective by “[c]asting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). God sent his Son to save the world, not to condemn it. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all we need.
Jesus Christ, All We Need
He is the Bread of Life
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
He Gives us Living Water
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
John 4:10
He is Our Refuge
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
He is the Light
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12
He Loves Us
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1 John 3:16
He Sets us Free
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:36
In the end, I had to make a choice because no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Either I would love the academy and esteem human knowledge, or I would love God and esteem his Son. And so, while people follow theories about human nature, I will follow the one who put on human nature, died for me, and rose with power and glory. While people debate universal truths, I will trust the one who is the truth. While people pursue worldly fulfillment, I will put my faith in the one who knows what I need, even before I ask (Matthew 6:8).