Is dependence a bad thing?

In my gap year that I spent working at a Christian youth hostel in Haifa, Israel, I once encountered three tourists who missed their cruise ship and had to wait three days before the ship returned from Egypt and could pick them up again. As they walked up to the reception desk, one said to the other in Hungarian, ‘Say to her that we have no money!’ Their pretence collapsed, however, as I understood their words, but for the rest of the time, they did not stop blaming others for their troubles and expecting the hostel to take full responsibility for their wellbeing. In a Western context, dependence goes against the spirit of self-sufficiency and is also associated with neediness, with the attitude these tourists had, who exaggerated their difficulties and demanded others to sort things out for them. Yet, God Himself calls us to depend on Him. What does this mean and how is it different from the above example?

Acknowledging need and the paradox of humility and power

People in the ancient world had less trouble acknowledging their need and admitting that they were not self-sufficient but whom should they depend on? Baal worship became prevalent under Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-32) and Baal was a storm god, i.e. the giver of rain, crucial for life in a dry climate like Israel’s. Yet God reaches out to His people through the prophet Elijah on whose word rain will stop and start (1 Kings 17:1). This will show that it is Israel’s God who gives rain and life. Strikingly, Elijah himself will have to depend on the Lord, who commands circumstances and people to provide for him (1 Kings 17:4, 9). This takes trust because what if the ravens forget to feed him? What if the pagan widow, who recognises that the prophet worships Israel’s God (1 Kings 17:12), betrays him to the authorities? After all, they are in the heartland of Baalism, in the region that Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, came from (1 Kings 17:8; 16:31). It is also humbling that the mighty prophet is made dependent on such lowly creatures. Yet, Elijah politely asks the woman (1 Kings 17:10-11), he does not grovel nor manipulate her nor demand provision because of his authority. Neither does he use his God-given powers to bring rain or provision for himself but only to benefit Israel so that they turn to the Lord.

The power to give away life

The pagan widow likewise faces the question of dependence. Without male protection in a patriarchal society, she is vulnerable and has also a boy dependent on her. In dire need, whom will she trust and depend on? Baal or Israel’s God? Yet, in a strange twist, she, the outsider and a weak woman, has the power to give something the prophet is lacking! She faces a choice whether to see to her own needs first or trust Elijah’s God and depend on Him to deliver her (1 Kings 17:13-14). Paradoxically, as she gives away her chance to extend life for herself, she receives it back manifold through God’s provision (1 Kings 17:15-16)! There is a beautiful interdependence here with Elijah depending on the woman, the woman depending on Elijah and ultimately both depending on God. Once again, the refrain of the previous sections that all happened ‘according to the word of the LORD’ (v.16) underlines God’s commitment.

Trust, dependence and what it means for us

While this incident affirms that God’s Word can be trusted and He provides, its message is so much richer. It reminds us that we are all dependent on others – we were created to be – and there is nothing wrong about admitting our needs and receiving help from others. It teaches us humility and even Jesus was not afraid to seek out His friends’ support (Matt 26:38). At the same time, we were given dignity because in God’s economy even the most lowly has something to contribute that others need and this is particularly evident in how the church as a body is meant to function (1 Cor 12:19-25). We also have responsibility in the choices we make because our power to help others can be employed just to help ourselves and be self-sufficient. However, God’s call is to use our power for the benefit of others and depend on the Lord to provide for us. As Jesus taught, those who lose their lives for His sake will truly find it (Matt 16:25).

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