Like this:

Yes, you read that correctly.  And no, it is not a headline from the now defunct Weekly World News.  But, before you start composing your denunciations and praying for my blasphemous soul, please read and meditate on the following rumination.

“You can’t always get what you want.

But if you try sometimes,

You just might find,

You get what you need.”

These were the words playing from my car sterio Monday afternoon as I drove home from the repair shop.  (Yes, I admit it, I was listening to the local classic rock station.)  Yet, upon reflection, I realized these are really profound lyrics, full of spiritual meaning.  How, you ask?

First, let us define “want” and “need.”

Want – a state of desire.

Need – a requirement.

The theme of our recent Singles Retreat was “the Fight,” which referred to our ongoing, earthly battle with our own fleshly nature.  We learned that our flesh is corrupted by sin and seeks to rule our lives in every way.  Because it desires to rule, our flesh is an indwelling enemy, one which is in direct and constant conflict with our new nature in Christ.  And unlike a human enemy, the flesh never sleeps, never offers a cease fire and never pauses to consolidate its position. The flesh never admits defeat, it simply changes tactics.  Nor does it retreat, it merely redeploys.  Most disconcerting is the purpose of this perpetual warfare: the active pursuit of our own destruction.  But like an earthly army, our flesh has an insatiable apitite that demands attention.  So it is constantly screaming, “I want, I want, I want!”  Heeding this voice can bring only discontentment.

Unlike our flesh, God, as our Creator, intimately knows our every need.  Furthermore, He actually longs to meet those needs in the most perfect way.  Frankly, as Christians, God has already met our greatest need by redeeming us through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Yet, He desires to give us even more.  God knows that our wants do not always correspond to our needs; oftentimes, they actually conflict.  His answer to our fleshly cry of “I want!” is “You need!  And I alone will meet your every need.”  Therefore, true contentment only comes from heeding the voice of the Spirit of our Lord and Savior at the expense of our flesh.

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