Needs Everywhere

I went for a midday run during my lunch break yesterday.  The cloudless skies and mild temperatures invited me to enjoy a dose of Vitamin D.  I wound along my regular path, acutely aware of my own needs in the moment - a deep breath and some upbeat music to keep me moving.  The siren of a passing ambulance interrupted my thoughts.  Someone needs help.  My gaze lifted, and I began to see them.  Needs everywhere.  

Energy for the young mom at the playground with her toddler.
Patience for the teachers in the local elementary school.
A buyer for the family with the "for sale" sign in their yard.

Needs everywhere.  Truthfully, it sounds a lot like my role with TeachBeyond right now.  In some moments, this staggering need fuels my applicant follow up and recruiting trip plans.  But most of the time, the task of filling countless positions seems impossibly daunting.

As I continued my run, I began to pray a familiar prayer: that the Lord would meet the needs of TeachBeyond's partner schools and send more workers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).  Then I heard the lyrics of the song playing in my headphones in that moment: "Jesus, You're all I need."  And the next song:

"You promise never to forsake
What You began, You will sustain
This we know, this we know
I will call upon the Lord, for He alone is strong enough to save"

How quickly I am consumed by the needs surrounding me and swirling inside me!  And yet, I have a loving Provider who knows my needs (Matt. 6:25-34) and is able to do more than I could ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

Needs everywhere.  Endurance, healing, encouragement, financial provision, wisdom, rest, hope, salvation...  Whatever we need, we know the Source.  All of our needs are met in Christ!  As we present our requests to Him, may we trade our weights of worry for the peace found in His sovereign provision (Phil. 4:6-7).

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus..." (Hebrews 12:1-2)