I've never known a person who liked being called "needy." When we use this word to describe people it's usually in a negative way. "Needy" often refers to people who are down and out — people who need the necessities of life (food, clothing, shelter). This time of year we are asked by various groups to help these kind of needy people in the spirit of the holidays. We recognize that many people with these needs are not needy by their own choice and we are happy to help out. As people who enjoy many material blessings, we would not want to be needy like this ourselves.
Another use of "needy" refers to people who are starving for attention. For whatever reasons, these people place demands on family members, friends, and coworkers that are often excessive. Such people are called "needy" or "high maintenance" and others tend to avoid them. We understand that this kind of behavior is a mental health issue. As people who enjoy good mental health, this too is a kind of needy we would like not to be.
Actually, we don't like the idea of being needy at all. We would rather make our own way by taking care of ourselves and our needs. But there is a place in our lives where being needy is essential. God tells us through the prophet Isaiah that "with righteousness He will judge the needy" (Isaiah 11:4). We need the righteousness that God will be looking for in the judgment. As people who don't like to be needy in any sense, we are tempted to deal with our spiritual needs ourselves — to do the things that must be done to be good people and please God. But no matter how good we are we can't achieve the standard that God has established for goodness. We fall short. We are needy.
God understood how needy we are. He knew that we could never achieve the righteousness that we need to stand before Him in the judgment. Knowing this great need, God sent His Son into the world to be your righteousness. Through His life lived under the Law and His death died as a payment for your unrighteousness, Jesus has filled up your need. In Him there is good news for the needy.
