Does God Need Us?

God doesn’t need me. God doesn’t need anyone or anything. Think about it: if, as we believe, God is perfect within himself, then there’s nothing that we can give or add to his glory. More than that, if God is the creator of all things, then there’s not even anything we have that doesn’t ultimately come from him. Maybe this seems unfair somehow. In our human relationships, we expect there to be a sort of equality, a mutual exchange of needs… such that, when we do something for someone, we expect to hear a “thank you” or maybe even to be rewarded later on. So we might surprised to hear Jesus tell us, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

Consider, however, the difference between God our Father and the human master in the parable. Relations between masters and servants in the time of Jesus were probably a bit different than what we’d expect today, but certainly today – if you spent your whole day plowing someone else’s field or tending someone else’s sheep – then you could understandably expect to be compensated… or at least thanked. After all, you’re making the master’s life possible. You’re doing work that he needs done. Precisely because God doesn’t need anything, there’s no transactional element in our relationship with him. We don’t have to worry about God’s self-interest or ulterior motives, because there’s nothing left for him to gain. We expect mutuality in our human relationships because we don’t want to give and give until we have nothing left. God is content to put himself in the position of constant giving because his treasures are inexhaustible.

Neither is there any limit to how much we can give, if the power of the Holy Spirit is alive and active within us. We can share in God’s own selfless love. Indeed, the more conformed we are to God’s love, the more we can see even his commands to us as gifts in themselves, because in them he is constantly inviting us to be transformed more and more after his image and likeness. So let’s pray this Sunday for the strength, the trust, and the joy to give of ourselves as freely as he does. After all, if God doesn’t need anything, then neither do we need anything if we have him.