To Find Satisfaction in God
What a breath of fresh air! This portion of the Beth Moore study "Breaking Free" has been greatly anticipated, and it was, indeed, satisfying.
Breathe this fresh breath with me...
Finding Satisfaction in God is benefit #3 of the 5 benefits a relationship with God produces. Dissatisfaction is one of those secrets we lock away under the protection of our masks, and the church doesn't always help. I mean, the church puts off an air of perfection, or at least satisfaction—it makes it hard for anyone to raise their hand in objection. If one already feels alone in her dissatisfaction, she certainly won't draw attention to her solitary opinion, she'd be the only one there to raise a hand, or so she thinks. Furthermore, even if you weren't the only one, the others would all be the "been there done that" kind of crowd who've already made it past their most recent bout with emptiness.
Yet, these conclusions are not true, in fact, many Christians are not satisfied with God alone; even though they've received God as savior, served Him for decades, and seen evidence of His providence and glory, still they've never discovered genuine satisfaction in Him on this earth.
Now, I'm going to take you through the same study I went through step by step, so follow along...
First, Beth Moore has us each attempt to word our own definition of satisfaction. Go on, pen it down... (My definition is: Satisfaction means whole and irrevocable contentment in the presence of something) Have you finished yours? Okay, let's move on. By this definition, is your soul, spirit, and inmost places (the REAL you) entirely satisfied with Christ? Well, neither is mine, so let's examine some Biblical definitions of satisfaction, starting with Isaiah 55:1-2:
"Come, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance."
What does God seem to be offering in these verses (I wrote, "something better than I need or want")? The Hebrew word for satisfy in Isaiah 55:2 is sob'ah meaning "to have enough, be full... sufficiently." God was asking "Why do you work so hard for things that are never enough?"
Can you think of anything you've worked hard to attain that ultimately failed to bring about the satisfaction you were expecting (For me, "grades" seems an appropriate answer)? We've each been disappointed by "satisfying" things that have proved to be only fillers.
Let's look at another passage about satisfaction:
"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain.’ People will live together in Judah and all its towns — farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
-Jeremiah 31:23-25
The Hebrew word for satisfy in these verses is male (no, not the gender), it means "to fill something that was empty, or to accomplish." It is both the act of replenishing and the experience of satisfaction. This brings up a crucial point, liberation means allowing God to fill our empty places. It is also important to note two more things about satisfaction: 1) it is possible, it's not an ideal never to be reached on earth, and 2) the filling only Christ can give does not immediately accompany our salvation. Salvation secures our lives for all eternity; satisfaction ensures abundant life here on earth.
Here's a practical parallel Beth Moore offers in the book: "We can easily recognize our bodies signals for physical nourishment (dry mouth = thirst. Growling stomach = hunger) but can we so easily discern our spiritual signals?"
Furthermore, Psalm 63:1-8 offers some great insight on satisfied souls:
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Why do you think David had such a hunger and thirst for God (I wrote that it was because He was low on God, and if anyone would recognize the discrepancy between intimacy with God and when it's lacking, it would be Him. He had a deep desire to get back to what he knew was possible)?
It is obvious, but not often remembered, that souls accustomed to God's life giving food are more likely to have highly developed appetites: the more we've been satisfied with God's love, presence, and Word, the more we yearn for it when it's gone. Yet on the other end, we can become so depleted spiritually when we neglect spending time with God that we no longer feel hungry or thirsty for Him.
In closing, we can end on a positive note. God CAN satisfy our yearning souls, and it's ONLY him that awakens us to the truth He wants to teach us:
"The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."
-Isaiah 50:4
As we discern what's holding us back from experiencing a satisfying life in Christ, these verses present a clear picture of God's ability and initiative in being our satisfaction:
Psalm 103:1-2,5—"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits —who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
Philippians 4:19—"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Revelation 3:20—"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
From these verses, I wrote the following conclusions: 1) I can praise God as I remember that one of His benefits is that He will satisfy my desires with good things, 2) Not only does God have the ability to meet my needs, He actually WILL, and 3) God is the one knocking on my door (not always the other way around) and He's waiting for me to open the door and invite Him in so that we can begin a satisfying fellowship.
Breathe this fresh breath with me...
Finding Satisfaction in God is benefit #3 of the 5 benefits a relationship with God produces. Dissatisfaction is one of those secrets we lock away under the protection of our masks, and the church doesn't always help. I mean, the church puts off an air of perfection, or at least satisfaction—it makes it hard for anyone to raise their hand in objection. If one already feels alone in her dissatisfaction, she certainly won't draw attention to her solitary opinion, she'd be the only one there to raise a hand, or so she thinks. Furthermore, even if you weren't the only one, the others would all be the "been there done that" kind of crowd who've already made it past their most recent bout with emptiness.
Yet, these conclusions are not true, in fact, many Christians are not satisfied with God alone; even though they've received God as savior, served Him for decades, and seen evidence of His providence and glory, still they've never discovered genuine satisfaction in Him on this earth.
Now, I'm going to take you through the same study I went through step by step, so follow along...
First, Beth Moore has us each attempt to word our own definition of satisfaction. Go on, pen it down... (My definition is: Satisfaction means whole and irrevocable contentment in the presence of something) Have you finished yours? Okay, let's move on. By this definition, is your soul, spirit, and inmost places (the REAL you) entirely satisfied with Christ? Well, neither is mine, so let's examine some Biblical definitions of satisfaction, starting with Isaiah 55:1-2:
"Come, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance."
What does God seem to be offering in these verses (I wrote, "something better than I need or want")? The Hebrew word for satisfy in Isaiah 55:2 is sob'ah meaning "to have enough, be full... sufficiently." God was asking "Why do you work so hard for things that are never enough?"
Can you think of anything you've worked hard to attain that ultimately failed to bring about the satisfaction you were expecting (For me, "grades" seems an appropriate answer)? We've each been disappointed by "satisfying" things that have proved to be only fillers.
Let's look at another passage about satisfaction:
"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain.’ People will live together in Judah and all its towns — farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
-Jeremiah 31:23-25
The Hebrew word for satisfy in these verses is male (no, not the gender), it means "to fill something that was empty, or to accomplish." It is both the act of replenishing and the experience of satisfaction. This brings up a crucial point, liberation means allowing God to fill our empty places. It is also important to note two more things about satisfaction: 1) it is possible, it's not an ideal never to be reached on earth, and 2) the filling only Christ can give does not immediately accompany our salvation. Salvation secures our lives for all eternity; satisfaction ensures abundant life here on earth.
Here's a practical parallel Beth Moore offers in the book: "We can easily recognize our bodies signals for physical nourishment (dry mouth = thirst. Growling stomach = hunger) but can we so easily discern our spiritual signals?"
Furthermore, Psalm 63:1-8 offers some great insight on satisfied souls:
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Why do you think David had such a hunger and thirst for God (I wrote that it was because He was low on God, and if anyone would recognize the discrepancy between intimacy with God and when it's lacking, it would be Him. He had a deep desire to get back to what he knew was possible)?
It is obvious, but not often remembered, that souls accustomed to God's life giving food are more likely to have highly developed appetites: the more we've been satisfied with God's love, presence, and Word, the more we yearn for it when it's gone. Yet on the other end, we can become so depleted spiritually when we neglect spending time with God that we no longer feel hungry or thirsty for Him.
In closing, we can end on a positive note. God CAN satisfy our yearning souls, and it's ONLY him that awakens us to the truth He wants to teach us:
"The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."
-Isaiah 50:4
As we discern what's holding us back from experiencing a satisfying life in Christ, these verses present a clear picture of God's ability and initiative in being our satisfaction:
Psalm 103:1-2,5—"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits —who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
Philippians 4:19—"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Revelation 3:20—"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
From these verses, I wrote the following conclusions: 1) I can praise God as I remember that one of His benefits is that He will satisfy my desires with good things, 2) Not only does God have the ability to meet my needs, He actually WILL, and 3) God is the one knocking on my door (not always the other way around) and He's waiting for me to open the door and invite Him in so that we can begin a satisfying fellowship.
Excellent!! And thought-provoking.
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