I Am The Needy

A Reflection on the Psalm for December 8th, 2019:
Second Sunday of Advent

Psalm 72

R. In his days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound forever.

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. R.

In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more. May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. R.

For he delivers the needy one who calls, the poor and the one who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. R.

May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in him; may they pronounce him happy. R.

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God is. He is, and we are, because nothing comes from nothing and His majesty is revealed in the beauty and complexity and order of the universe. We are only required to admit that we are not kings and queens of all that is, seen and unseen; the grandeur of sea to sea, the ends of the earth, the moon and the sun, time itself. To acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge and ability is to humble ourselves before Him and before others. To begin to reveal the right order of things is to begin to allow righteousness to flourish. This order of things begins with understanding who we are as a reflection of Him; beloved children of a God who desires justice, deliverance, and peace for us.

"To acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge and ability is to humble ourselves before Him and before others."

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As children, we are needy. We are unable to provide for ourselves, and as we grow, we learn to be independent of our parents. Sometimes, as it was in my case, the pendulum of independence swings too far into the territory of fierce pride. As a young person, I didn’t know the proper order of things. All that I enjoyed, as far as I was concerned, came from my own hard work, and I deserved it. I had dominion over my life, and every confidence in my own power, mostly apart from anyone or anything else. In a similar way, we as humans have taken advantage of our dominion over the earth, and we are seeing the devastating results of our collective irresponsibility now.


I now consider it blessing that I have been faced with many situations where I’ve been forced to see my neediness clearly. I’ve needed love that I didn’t have. I’ve needed patience that I didn’t have. I’ve needed humility that I didn’t have. I’ve needed strength, wisdom, and joy that I didn’t have. 


As it turns out, God saw this coming. As it turns out, I am the needy one. I am the poor one who has no helper. 


I prefer not to be needy. I’m sure most people feel the same, even those who are in real material need. Our society emphasizes independence and it can be a blow to our pride to ask for help. It has occurred to me that in the same way, maybe I also don’t want to have to lean on God. But the beautiful thing is that He is my conscience — He is a wise and merciful teacher who sees deeply into my soul with love and compassion. Unless I surrender everything to Him and become needy, admitting my motives and fears, I can’t allow Him to function as He should in my life and in the world as the active force behind all that is good and true.


Lindsay Elford

Rene Bernal

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