When I was in college, my friends and I used to play a game called "youth group" during which we'd hold up pretend microphones and go around the circle making up very cliche fake "testimonies" as though it were the last night of youth camp. Most of us had grown up in typical churches and we all shared similar stories of such events. We'd follow that up with "prayer request" and start making up terrible fake prayer requests about great-aunt Bertha's fungus on her third toe and Suzy's sister-in-law's uncle who has a sick dog, etc. I'm not gonna lie, it was funny, and it still makes me laugh when I think about it.

But, I think it also gave me a complex about sharing prayer requests. Recently, I had something really heavy on my heart, effecting many people I love, but I hesitated to tell others about it because I didn't want to seem too needy. You see, lately, it seems like I've had an inordinate number of prayer requests for myself or those near me. As I was thinking about some of those things this morning and wondering how to share and with whom to share, I told the Lord that I didn't want to sound needy. And, y'all, like only He can, the response was immediate, "But, Kristen, you ARE needy." Where I got the idea that I wasn't in need or that it was wrong for me to be in need, I'll never know.

In need of grace, in need of love,
In need of mercy raining down from high above,
In need of strength, in need of peace,
In need of things that only You can give to me.
In need of Christ, the perfect Lamb, my refuge strong, The Great I Am.
This is my song, my humble plea; I am Your child, I am in need.

In Need by Ross King