People Don’t Recognize the Need Until It’s Them In Need
“And he would fain hae filled his belly with the husks that the swinde did eat: and no man gave unto him.” –Luke 15:16 (KJV)
There is a sobering truth woven through Scripture and human experience: most people never recognize the depth of a need until they are the one who falls into it. We can walk past suffering, minimize someone else’s pain, or feel untouched by circumstances, until life shifts, and suddenly we are the ones needing help, comfort, mercy, or forgiveness.
- It’s Easy to Ignore What Doesn’t Touch Us
Before the prodigal son ended up in the pigpen, he couldn’t understand the value of a father’s love, provision, or guidance. He took the blessings for granted. Many of us do the same.
- We don’t notice the lonely until we feel abandoned.
- We don’t understand grief until we lose someone.
- We don’t appreciate mercy until we have sinned deeply and desperately need grace.
Human nature leans toward comfort. When we’re doing well, we assume life will continue in that lane. We judge others easily. We overlook needs quickly. But distance breeds blindness.
2. The Pigpen Has a Way of Opening Our Eyes
Scripture says the prodigal son “came to himself” in the low place. He saw clearly what he had never understood before. Sometimes, need becomes the teacher pride would never allow. When it happens to us:
- Support matters more.
- Compassion becomes real.
- God’s presence becomes precious.
- The prayers of others become lifelines.
Need breaks the illusion of independence. It humbles us. It awakens us to the truth that we were never meant to do life alone.
3. Pain Softens Our Hearts Toward Others
Once the prodigal son knew need, he would never look at another broken person with the same eyes. The same happens to us.
- People who have suffered become the most compassionate helpers.
- People who have grieved become the greatest comforters.
- People who have failed become the most gracious forgivers.
God often uses your need today to give you compassion for another tomorrow.
4. Need Drives Us Back to the Father
The greatest miracle of the prodigal story isn’t the pigpen, it’s the father waiting on the porch.
- Need didn’t destroy him
- Need directed him
- Need brought him home
Sometimes God allows us to feel the weight of our need so we will return to the One who can truly meet it. Need is often the doorway to restoration, repentance, and revival.
5. When It’s You in Need, You See God Differently
When life hurts, suddenly:
- His Word becomes food
- His presence becomes shelter
- His promises become oxygen
- His love becomes personal
We stop speaking of God theoretically and start knowing Him intimately. Need is not punishment, it is an invitation.
6. Let Need Remind You to Notice Others
If God has brought you out of a place of desperation… If He lifted you, restored you, or provided for you… Don’t forget what it felt like. Let your memory become your ministry.
Because the truth is:
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you can’t see. Walking among your coworkers, church members, neighbors, and even your own family are people who are one crisis away from crying out for help.
Be the person who sees the need before it becomes your own.
If you feel like you’re in the pigpen right now, overwhelmed, exhausted, forgotten, God has not abandoned you. He is closer than you think, and your current need may be the very thing He uses to draw you deeper into His grace and to prepare you to help someone ele.
You will not stay in this place. You will come home with new eyes, new compassion, and a new understanding of God who never stops waiting for you.