Need-to-Know Basis

Posted on by Jonathan

The other day my dad and I were talking, and Dad said something that really encouraged me.  I wrote it down and thought I would pass it along.

“I’m on a need-to-know basis with the Father,” Dad said, “Yahweh evidently doesn’t think I need to know nearly as much as I think I need to know, but He faithfully lets me know what I need to know to take the next step.”

What does “need-to-know basis” mean?  Here’s a definition from Cambridge Dictionary: “If you tell people something on a need-to-know basis, you only tell them the facts they need to know at the time they need to know them, and nothing more.”

Being a college student, this statement from my Dad really hits home to me.  Test deadlines, job applications, college projects, etc. — it’s tempting for me to think I must see far ahead in order to be content with my circumstances.  Dad’s quote brings me back to Matthew 6:27,33-34 — “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?… 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

Ironically, although it’s tempting to ignore the baby steps and instead worry about the big picture, each individual step of faith is key to moving forward in the big picture.  (See blog post Daily Manna for a similar thought.)  It’s easy to always be looking to “the next big thing” and miss the blessing Yahweh has in store for us each moment. 

Let us relish each day in thankfulness and praise to the Father, being good stewards of the knowledge Yahweh has given us to walk out each moment in the center of His will. Let us cast all our anxiety on Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  Let us be content to be on a need-to-know basis, knowing that Yahweh will accomplish what concerns us (Psalm 138:8). 

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the YHWH.” — Proverbs 21:31

Cambridge Dictionary quote: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/on-a-need-to-know-basis

(All Bible passages NASB; Hebrew transl. added.)

 

7 thoughts on “Need-to-Know Basis”

  2. I am so thankful you have been generous enough to share all these things with us. I am always amazed at how timely and how applicable they are.

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  3. AWESOME PRAISE…
    I shared this “Need-to-Know Basis” blog post with some co-workers who are part of a bible study and email group at work. We received this incredible testimony from a co-worker:
    “I used to struggle all the time with this myself. I really used to want to know what God had planned ahead for me, so I could prepare myself, but now I just let go and let God. At one point in the past, some 15 or so years ago, I used to be a type-A personality. I was also a millionaire and had a lot of money. I felt (and needed to be) in complete control of everything around me. I was arrogant, very successful and very driven. Then I re-discovered God and Jesus around the beginning of 2007. What followed were my “Book of Job” years of 2008-2009 where I lost absolutely everything I held dear, and God used those years to humble me. I lost my job, I lost my business, I lost my 5000 sq. foot home on a lake, I lost my life savings, I lost my dogs, I lost several million dollars in intangible and tangible household assets, I lost the woman I loved, I lost my car, I lost most of my possessions, but I gained Jesus. During this time period, I read the Bible cover to cover almost 10 times, looking to find why God had done this to me. The only answer I could find is that God was using this to humble me. When a potter takes a piece of clay off the shelf to work on it, the first thing he does is to put it in a lot of heat and crush it into a pulp, which is what God did with me. He then proceeded to build me back up in his image, and what you see today is a result of His humbling, shaping and molding process over the years. I am no longer an A-type driven personality who feels the need to be in control or know what is coming down the road. In fact, it can sometimes be a relief to know that not only do I not have all the answers, but that the one who has all the answers will provide for me as and when He needs to provide for me. That is such a comforting thought. I no longer have to grip tightly to what I can lose so easily tomorrow, because God, who provides everything, will in His good time, provide for me and has provided for me so faithfully. I am a much happier, more content person than I used to be before God decided to take the piece of clay off the shelf and begin working on it :-).”

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  4. Pingback: Awesome Testimony – Exhortation Station

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