Do you think that also applies to relationships? For instance, would you rather that somebody need to be close to you or want to be close to you? Would you prefer a significant other to need you or want you? (Note: I am fighting with everything in me to avoid a Meatloaf reference…looks like I lost the fight.) Based on our previous logic, it seems like a need would be a stronger connection and that would be more preferable than somebody that just wants to be with you. I think God would disagree.
God could have created humanity in such a way that we would need Him. Yes, we need to have a relationship with Him to spend eternity with Him. But God could have made a relationship with Him as important for survival as food and water. He could have created us to need Him. But He didn’t. God gave us a choice.
God set up creation so that we would be able to decide whether or not to choose Him. He does not force us to need Him. He wants us to want Him. That is what this whole free will bit is all about. God wants us to want Him because that creates a stronger bond than a need.
When pursuing a need, we generally put in the minimum amount of effort in order to have that need met, and then we go on our way. We seek to satisfy a need, not devote ourselves to it. This process usually ends up lacking zeal and being primarily mechanical.
Want, on the other hand, leads to passion, dedication, and the kind of love that relationships are created to be built upon. By wanting to be in a relationship with somebody (God, for example), you are committing to putting other things aside to make that relationship work. You are willing to work, sacrifice, and make concessions on your own desires because you truly care for the other person.
I never quite understood this concept until I had children of my own. Sure, they needed me to provide for them, feed them, clean them, and keep them safe. But there is no greater feeling than coming home at the end of the day to two small children that want nothing more than to be with you. That is real love that would not exist if my relationship with them was solely based on need.
They want my hugs and kisses. They want my time. They want my attention. They want me. And that is the greatest feeling in the world. If that is only a hint of what God feels when somebody wants to spend time with Him, I fully understand why He created us the way that He did. God wants us to want Him, and that is awesome.