God is mankind’s deepest need, but they often fail to see this need as clearly as they should, and many do not see that they need God at all. Many we come in contact with think, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (Rev. 3:17-18). How could something so obvious and so important be so hard to recognize on a practical, daily basis? Why don’t people see how much they need God? Consider three things that hinder people from seeing this need.
Much of the time, we humans stay too busy and distracted to deal adequately with God (Luke 12:20-21). The physical world has a powerful pull on us. The “cares of this world” and the “deceitfulness of riches” can choke God’s word out of us (Matt. 13:22). Distraction from spiritual realities is a special problem in an affluent society where our lives are mostly comfortable. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Often the more we have, the less thankful we are and the more we forget about God.
When our faith fails to see beyond the material world, we lose perspective on reality, and we buy into the delusion. Our sense of what’s important gets turned upside down. At times, we really do think other things are more important than our relationship to God. It may be the case that we truly do not see the reality of our situation (Mal. 1:6). Esau was called “immoral and godless” when he traded his birthright for a bowl of soup (Heb. 12:16-17). Momentary temporal pleasures can deceive us greatly as to their real value. The “passing pleasures of sin” can seem much more than that (Heb. 11:23-25). Delusion subverts perspective. The ideal situation is when our felt needs are the same as our real needs (Luke 12:23).
The failure to deal straightforwardly with truth often stems from a denial. If we lack honesty and humility, we will suppress our need for God. Many “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18, 28). We may not see our need for God because we choose not to see (Prov. 30:12). “It is the fool who says in his heart there is no God” (Psa. 10:4, 6; 14:1). “Every knee will bow and every tongue shall give praise to God,” so we ought to do so now (Rom 14:11).
Our constant challenge in life is to see what we ought to see (Matt. 13:14-15; John 9:39-41). Ignoring our need for God doesn’t make that need go away. We need to acknowledge and consider seriously our need for God before there is no more time (2 Cor 6:2). Don’t become a victim of distraction, delusion or denial. This life is much more than what we are led to believe is important. There is more at stake than what we see, even if we don’t acknowledge it.