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Facing Unmet Needs: God Will Provide All Your Needs

What can you do when you have unmet needs in marriage? Does the promise that God will provide all your needs apply in this area?

A Struggle With The Thought: God Will Provide All Your Needs

Anytime there has been a need in my life, well-meaning Christians repeatedly remind me of a truth, “God will provide all your needs.”

It is a good reminder.

I have needs.

You have needs.

That has been the way of life from the beginning.

Some of my genuine needs are:

  • Affection
  • Approval
  • Security
  • Affirmation
  • Love
  • Provision

I have wasted many years of life going from person to person, relationship to relationship, almost begging for those needs to be met. Can you relate?

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Do You Expect People To Meet Your Needs?

Will you love me? What if I am a mess?

Am I good enough? Did I do a good enough job that it would be difficult to replace me?

Will you stay, even if life gets hard?

Now, I don’t ask those questions with my words. I do, however, ask them with my actions. Volunteering in too many places to feel needed asks those questions. Bending over backward in friendships asks those questions. We ask them without even realizing they are at the heart of our behavior.

One day I woke up realizing I’d become a people pleaser, a yes woman, and a pushover. Why? I had needs. I was taking those needs to people and tasks (and food) to be met.

Anybody else?

Needs In Marriage

Then I got married. Who else entered the marriage covenant, mistakenly believing that their spouse was the one person who could meet many if not most of their needs?

Somewhere along the way, I began to believe that it was my husband’s job to meet my needs. All of my needs were placed at his feet. When he failed to meet a need I was hurt.

It turned out that my spouse has his own set of needs. He also, mistakenly thought I would fulfill all his needs, satisfying him in all the ways…

Needs Before Marriage

Now, before I was married, I was taking those needs to best friends, pastors, mentors, and teachers. Friends affirmed me. Pastors reassured me. Mentors encouraged me. Teachers pushed me.

People said that God would supply all my needs, but that was confusing. My needs are physical, mental, and emotional. I know God provides my spiritual needs, but other needs felt like they belonged outside of that ideology.

Surely, in marriage, with a partner, those needs would be more fully and consistently met. Right?

But I found that untrue. My husband could not meet many of my needs consistently, let alone fully. Likewise, I was not able to meet his needs.

What did that mean? Was I supposed to just push past the needs? Live as if the needs didn’t exist?

How is a wife supposed to live with unmet needs in marriage?

How does a Christian live with unmet needs?

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What Does The Bible Say About Unmet Needs?

There are countless Bible verses about God caring for our needs. Countless.

Specifically, what Bible verse says God will provide all your needs? Philippians 4:19.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 KJV)

Okay, so right there we see that the Lord will provide for us. But before we unpack that I want to show you a few more verses about our needs so we get the bigger picture

So often we ask, where in the Bible does it say God will provide all we need? It began in the Old Testament and continues on as a consistent theme through Revelations!

Scripture About God Providing For All Our Needs in The Old Testament

These Olt Testament God provides Scripture are a beautiful picture of the heart of our Father. He truly longs to take care of us!

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,” (Psalm 24:1 ESV)

Who has endless resources to meet your needs?

The Lord.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1 ESV)

Who can supply so much that, not only are our needs met but we will not have wants?

Our Lord and Shepherd.

“I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10 NLT)

Who owns all that is on this earth and can meet your needs?

Jehovah, our Great Almighty God.

Bible Verses About The Lord Meeting Our Needs From Jesus

Will God take care of me? That seems to have been a question Jesus wanted answered clearly while He lived on earth. Doesn’t it make you feel loved and cherished knowing Jesus said these words?

““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 ESV)

Who are you to ask and seek for what you need?

The Son of God, Jesus the Christ!

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11 NASB)

Who will give you the good things you need?

Your Father who is in heaven.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 ESV)

How do we receive whatever we need?

Prayer to Christ Jesus.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 ESV)

All things will be added to you when you seek what?

God’s kingdom and righteousness.

Bible Verses About God Meeting Our Needs in The New Testament

Does God give us everything we need? Over and over we see the Lord reminding us that He is the ONE who can meet our needs. He wants to meet them and He is the only ONE capable of meeting them!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV)

Where does every good gift come from?

The Father of heavenly lights, the God of the universe.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV)

Who has granted us all things for life and godliness?

Jesus Christ.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6 ESV)

We must make our needs known to who?

GOD.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV)

Who makes abound to us all things?

GOD.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 ESV)

Whose strength is given to us so we can do ALL things?

The Lord’s strength.

Why Do We Have Unmet Needs as Christians?

I hope you see that the Bible clearly states God will provide all your needs.

The question is not how to live with unmet needs. Nope. The real question is, who is supposed to fulfill our needs as Believers in Christ?

God is supposed to meet our needs.

If we are walking around with unmet needs, that means we have been taking those needs to the wrong person or thing. Humans are just incapable of meeting our needs. My spouse can not meet all my needs. I can’t meet all his needs.

My pastor can’t meet all my spiritual needs.

My doctor, trainer, dietician, etc. can’t meet all my physical needs.

Friends, mentors, teachers, and family can’t meet all my emotional needs.

Humans were not designed to be able to meet all the needs of their loved ones. That is God’s job.

Why do we only turn to God as a last resort for meeting our needs? He longs to meet them. God wants to provide wisdom, provision, security, love, and blessings of every kind.

Will God Provide for Our Needs?

Why did I start with so many other Scriptures about how God will provide all your needs?

People take Philippians 4:19 and say that it is conditional. That God only provides for all your needs if you are doing xyz.

The paragraph housing this God will provide all your needs Bible verse is talking about the blessing of generous giving. Well-meaning preachers and other theologians believe that God will provide your needs when you are giving generously.

That might be true if this verse were an isolated instance of the promise. It is NOT isolated, however. We just examined 13 verses that all say the same thing.

and God Will Provide All Your Needs

Yes. Overwhelmingly, God desires to meet all of your needs. The full counsel of the Bible teaches us that God is our Good Father, who lavishes us with His incomprehensible love!

Just review the facts for a moment (in case you skimmed earlier – no judgment):

  • Psalm 24:1
    • The Lord has endless resources to meet your needs.
  • Psalm 23:1
    • Our Lord and Shepherd can supply so much that, not only are our needs met but we will not have wants.
  • Psalm 50:10
    • Jehovah, our Great Almighty God owns all that is on this earth and can meet your needs.
  • Matthew 7:7
    • You are to ask and seek The Son of God, Jesus Christ, for what you need.
  • Matthew 7:11
    • Your Father who is in heaven will give you the good things you need.
  • Mark 11:24
    • We receive whatever we need through prayer to Christ Jesus.
  • Matthew 6:33
    • All things will be added to you when you seek God’s kingdom and righteousness.
  • James 1:17
    • The Father of heavenly lights, the God of the universe is where every good gift comes from.
  • 2 Peter 1:3
    • Jesus Christ has granted us all things for life and godliness.
  • Philippians 4:6
    • We must make our needs known to God.
  • 2 Corinthians 9:8
    • God makes all things abound to us.
  • Philippians 4:13
    • The Lord’s strength is given to us so we can do ALL things.

Why Does It Feel Like We Have Unmet Needs?

So, if the Lord desires to meet all our needs, supply all our needs, and provide for all we need… why does it feel like He doesn’t?

It feels like my needs are left unmet.

Anybody else?

I have real needs. They are not always met. Period.

But if I am really honest, I have to admit that I am not often taking those needs to the Lord.

Who else?

Do you pray over every need in your life? Or do you subconsciously take those needs to your spouse, your friends, your kids, your boss, your pastor, or any other human being?

Guilty.

So could it be possible, that we have unmet needs because we are not taking them with open hands to the Lord in prayer?

You Have Not Because You Do Not Ask

A verse I left off of our list is important to our discussion today.

“…You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3 NASB)

We don’t have what we need, often because we do not ask Jesus in prayer for what we need.

Other times, we don’t ask because secretly we know what we think we need is not godly or not necessary.

Maybe we don’t ask the Lord because we don’t feel like we deserve what we need. Is anybody else walking around in that head space?

We feel like we have to do this ourselves because we got ourselves into the mess in the first place.

We Ask Selfishly or Ignorantly

Perhaps we are asking but for selfish reasons. God looks at our hearts.

For example, if I am asking God to heal my marriage, but my motive is to feel happiness, that is a wrong motive. A marriage that makes me happy is not ungodly, but if that is my only reason to want God’s hand to change things, that is wrong. I must want holiness and love and hope and good for us both. Only thinking of my happiness is wrong.

Or, maybe we are asking, but He is saying not yet or no because He has something better lined up for us. If we don’t let go of our expectations – or open our hands to release what we believe is a current need – we could miss out on the provision He has for us.

Whew, that was a lot.

How Does God Provide for Our Needs?

The truth is, God desires to give us abundant life! An abundant life is a life where our needs are met through the power of Jesus at work through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

How does this happen?

God Will Provide All Your Needs Through Prayer

First, what we’ve seen is that God will provide all your needs but you must ask. Ask and seek and knock are all images of prayer. Persistent prayer.

Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7).

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

The Bible tells us God cares about what we care about (1 Peter 5:7). He longs to hear from us as this is a relationship. Take your needs to the Lord in prayer!

Related Post: How to Fight the Real Enemy in a Biblical Marriage

Know What You Need Vs What You Want

It is true that God will supply all your needs, meaning He will supply what you truly need. He knows what you need right now.

““For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

The truth is, much of what we pray about could fall in the category of wants to God. We need to be willing to accept His will, knowing that He sees what we can’t, He knows what we never will know.

We can trust Him. If He says, “No,” or, “Not yet,” He is right. He has a plan and is faithful.

If you have been praying over something for a long time and the Lord seems silent, ask Him if you need to shift your focus. He will give wisdom freely (James 1:5) in all things, especially obedient persistent prayer!

Related Post: 38 Encouraging Bible Verses About Love and Marriage

According to His Riches in Glory

Yes, God will provide all your needs when you ask. He will provide them in a way and time that are perfect even though it seems crazy to us now.

Also, Jesus will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory, meaning it may not look the way you expect.

His riches are innumerable. All the earth is His. All of the universe is His. There is no need beyond His reach.

His riches in Glory, however, imply Spiritual things. Often our needs reach far beyond the physical we can see, touch, or understand.

Spiritual Needs

Remember back to before you were saved. You needed purpose and identity. That need was met through salvation. Inviting an unseen savior to rule your heart was a spiritual reality that changed a mental perspective.

No longer was I a people-pleasing, shy, blond with no idea who she was beyond the praise she received from Others. Suddenly, I was a dearly loved daughter, joint heir with the King of the universe, gifted with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

The need to understand who I was was met, but not with a new job or relationship as I assumed.

We have to be okay with God meeting the real need that goes deeper than the need we can see or feel.

Some Needs Are Met With Unmet Needs

One crazy reality of the Christian life is that when we are completely satisfied, healthy, wealthy, and prosperous we are not seeking the Lord. We are spiritually lazy, spiritually asleep rather than alert and fighting the enemy.

At times, the best way the Lord can meet our needs for spiritual alertness, or a hunger and thirst for righteousness is to not meet some need we are longing to have met. Unmet needs bring us to Jesus in prayer, in desperation…

We do not seek Him if all of our needs are met. So, it logically follows that to meet some of our more pressing spiritual needs, the Father may leave some of our less important needs unmet in certain seasons.

That is just a Tiffany thought, by the way. I don’t have a chapter and verse, just the experience of over 30 years of walking with Jesus.

Having Anxiety Vs Peace about God Supply Our Needs

The sad reality of taking our needs to everyone but the Lord is anxiety and fear. When we have unmet needs we feel unmet needs will multiply. Since they have been unmet they will continue to be unmet and we are anxious to fix that problem.

Of course, that is an oversimplification of anxiety, but it applies to our point.

One reason the Bible tells us we don’t have to be anxious is because God will provide all our needs!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)

When I begin to feel anxious about my unmet needs I pray through this passage.

  • It becomes a reminder that I am anxious because I not honestly taking my needs to God and leaving them there.
  • It prompts thanksgiving for all the needs the Lord has met in the past.
  • Then it reminds me that my heart and mind are guarded by Christ Jesus.
  • If anxiety is creeping in, it is because I let the guard down and invited the enemy in. I can just as easily kick him out!

How To Handle Unmet Needs In Marriage

So this brings me back to my main problem. There are unmet needs in my marriage. There are needs I feel my husband is responsible for meeting, and he is not meeting them.

What can we do about those needs?

  • Support of dreams and goals.
  • Financial provision.
  • Spiritual leadership.
  • Sexual needs.

I could keep going, but I’m sure you get the picture. How can we live with those needs left unmet in marriage?

Remember God Will Supply All Your Needs Not Your Spouse

The first thing is to remember what the Bible teaches about where to take our needs first. God will provide for all your needs. All means all.

Do you need support?

Of course, you do. God sees that need and He will support you if your husband is not. He will surround you with others who will support you or He will cover you with peace as you wait for Him to change your husband in this area.

Related Post: To the Wife Who Needs Security in a Christian Marriage

Do you have financial needs?

Is that your spouse’s responsibility? A husband is called to provide for his family (1 Timothy 5:8). If he is not or can not, remember that God owns all things. He loves to bless His children. Take your needs to Him, trusting that He will make a way!

Related Post: Why Pray to God My Provider in Faith: Scriptures & Stories & How To Pray to God My Provider in Faith

We all need spiritual leadership

Is spiritual leadership your spouse’s responsibility? A husband is called to lead his family, to lead his wife spiritually (Ephesians 5:23-32). If he is not or can not, remember that God is the great leader we all need. He will give you wisdom, teach you all things, and walk you through this season.

Related Post: How to Decide the Leader in a Christian Marriage

As a Married Person, You Have Sexual Needs

To be transparent, I do not have a healthy view of anything sexual. What I know is that I struggled with lust before I was married. I assumed getting married would take that sin struggle away. It did not.

The Bible talks about sexual intimacy as a beautiful gift from the Lord meant to bring pleasure, procreation, and connection. I have not experienced those things in a healthy way.

A healthy sexual appetite is part of God’s design. He created the marriage bed and blessed it. If you are living in a sexless marriage or a marriage with sexual dysfunction there will be healthy, normal needs that your spouse is responsible for satisfying to their ability (1 Corinthians 7:4-5).

Like all other needs, those needs have to be taken to the Lord. That sounds weird and wrong. But He said He supplies all our needs. All means all. So sexual needs fall into the category of all.

The help I’ve found, though not always effective for that unmet need, is this verse.

“Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13 NASB)

How is that helpful? For me, when my needs are unmet in this area I need to be reminded that lust or fantasy or pornography or infidelity are sin and so are not the answer to this struggle. But God is faithful and I must turn to Him for help.

Related Post: Sex In a Christian Marriage: The Uncomfortable Truth

Imagine A Bucket

There’s a beautiful children’s book (Have You Filled a Bucket Today?) that paints the perfect picture of this truth.

In the book, every person carries a bucket which represents their happiness – met needs. When your bucket is full you can freely give to others. If your bucket is empty you have nothing to give to others.

You are just one-half of this marriage relationship. You have needs and the maturity to know that God will provide for all your needs. When you take your empty bucket full of unmet needs to the Lord, He will fill you up. In fact, through the Holy Spirit, He lavishes you with love and blessings.

When your bucket of needs is filled you are then able to meet your spouse’s needs (where they are yours to meet). If your bucket remains unfilled, you can’t even see their needs much less meet your obligations to meet those God assigned you to meet.

So we have to take our empty bucket to the Lord each morning, each afternoon, each evening. When we feel empty, and needy, we must take those needs to God first.

Then, we are better able to love our spouse, and meet some of their needs. With some of their needs met they are better able to see that we also have needs that they are supposed to meet.

Talk about a crazy cycle!

Continually Unmet Needs

Sadly, even after meeting your spouse’s needs (where they are your responsibility) they may still not be able to meet your needs. What’s worse, they may just choose not to meet your needs (where they are their responsibility to meet).

What are we to do then?

We are praying, taking all our needs to Jesus. But Scripture clearly teaches that some needs do fall to our husband or wife (specifically spiritual leadership, provisional, and healthy sexual needs).

When Scripture clearly teaches that they have responsibilities we can approach our unmet needs in a few ways.

  1. Pray that Scripture over them for a while (I recommend 40 days while fasting).
  2. Talk to them with I statements rather than you statements.
  3. Set boundaries and get accountability.
  4. Seek Counseling

Trauma and Mental Health

Sometimes, because of unresolved trauma or untreated mental health conditions, your spouse may not be able to meet your needs.

Does this mean you will live the rest of your life in a prison of constant need?

Part of me has to remind myself that this marriage covenant stated, “For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or health…”

Does that mean there is no hope?

Counseling and prayer can bring resolution to trauma. Counseling and medication can be part of a holistic solution for mental health conditions.

Through all of that, if your spouse is unwilling to address the root problems, you can pray, seek counsel yourself, and set realistic boundaries.

There is hope!

Selfishness and Abuse

At other times, however, at the root of a spouse who refuses to meet the needs God clearly laid out in Scripture, is a heart selfish, ungodly heart or even an abusive personality.

If after everything we discussed above, there is no change, you have to make a choice.

  • You can accept that this is just a part of the “For worse” clause in your marriage covenant (as long as there is no active abuse).

Perhaps your faithfulness and loving forgiveness are what God is calling you to display to share the gospel with others. After all, we treat the Lord this way often yet He forgives us. Maybe your marriage is meant to be an example like Hosea.

Or

  • You have Biblical grounds for divorce if God gives you a peace about that?

This is highly controversial, I freely admit, so look into it for yourself.

I believe that a spouse who selfishly refuses to love and care for their mate may not be saved. Further more, neglect of your spouse’s needs is a form of abuse … and if they continue to refuse change or help they are not honoring the marriage covenant. If an unbeliever does not honor or want the marriage covenant, a believer is free to divorce them and move on without sin.

Controversial I know.

Hope For Unmet Needs In Marriage

Having said all of that, and before you write me ugly letters or comments, know this…

God can heal any marriage.

Jesus can change any heart or situation.

The Holy Spirit can stir up love forgiveness and hope in any marriage.

I have seen too many marriages on the brink of divorce completely transformed through the power of God. If you need that, ask Him for a miracle! Believe in that miracle!

Being open to God’s will brings great Spiritual growth and blessing!

Comment below that you need someone to stand with you in prayer over this and I will pray today!

Will You Believe God Will Provide All Your Needs?

It is true, that God will provide all your needs. All!

Will you believe that today? We’ve seen 30 Bible verses about unmet needs or 30 scriptures about God providing for us to prove the point.

Will you begin taking those needs to Him?

When you begin to allow the Lord to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, you are then able to be used by Him to meet the needs of others! When other’s needs are met they can be used to meet your needs. The circle can be beautiful that way.

Will you begin walking this way today?

in HIS love,

If you enjoyed this article, you will love these:

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Tiffany Montgomery

Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children.  Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.