I’ve recently been having my world rocked by “The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson.  It’s a book that is chalked full of scripture and keeps pushing challenging me to grow in my relationship and communication with God.  But it has also pushed me to scripture even harder to study some of the people who had amazing prayer lives.  This led me to dive into the book of Daniel and here’s what caught my attention this week…

In chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and needs Daniel to interpret it.  The dream is that God had made the king very powerful but he had forgotten that it was by God’s strength not his own.  Therefore, God was going to reduce him to the level of the animals, grazing in the fields like cattle.  I underlined the last part of chapter 4 verse 25 in my bible and highlighted it on my YouVersion App.  It reads “until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”  The thought that hit me: God doesn’t need you.

I was reminded of the time I was pastoring in Florida and got the chance to meet Reinhard Bonnke.  Mr. Bonnke is one of the greatest evangelists of our time, holding outreaches and rallies of over a million people in attendance at one time!  He told a story of a time that he was praying but not with the right spirit.  He was thanking God for the amazing opportunity that he had been given to tell all of the people about the message of the Gospel but God could tell that his heart was saying something more like “I must be something special that God would use me.”  That day God showed Mr. Bonnke the humbling backstory…  Reinhard was God’s 4th choice, but the first 3 weren’t willing to follow God’s plan.

I don’t mean this to be depressing. It should actually be uplifting!  Although God doesn’t NEED you to fulfill his plan, he does INVITE you to be a part of it!  It should be humbling but also invigorating that the God of the universe could use anyone he wants, but he has given you an opportunity to fulfill his plan for this earth!  Don’t even take one day for granted.  God has a big plan and you can be a part of it… as long as you stay humble and willing.  Always remembering that it’s not by our strength but by His!

God doesn’t need you, but he desperately wants you to be a part of what He’s doing!