We Shall be Satisfied

“O you who hear prayer,
    to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
    you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
    to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
    the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
    O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
    being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;
    you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
    you provide their grain,
    for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
    settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
    and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
    your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
    the valleys deck themselves with grain,
    they shout and sing together for joy.” Psalm 65:2-13

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” John 4:13-14

The problem with ‘getting no satisfaction’ is that we look for it in all the wrong places. We get agitated when people connections do not get us ahead as we’d hoped, when a raise isn’t enough to quench our thirst for the next better thing, when the dream home or job turns into a nightmare of maintenance or pressure. We think a life partner, a shiny new item, or a unique experience will finally put to bed our longing, and hunger hibernates temporarily, but never for long.

Jesus told the woman that she was looking for the wrong kind of water. Hers was a soul thirst, yet trapped in horizontal living, she failed to recognize it as such. True satisfaction is found only in Jesus, and swells as we exalt and rejoice in Him. He is our soul’s abiding glory, joy, and crown. He is our hope and sure foundation and unchanging companion. He alone gives deep soul rest, and quenches our deepest longing to be understood, and cherished, and loved.(Matthew 11:28-30)

When we try lesser things to placate our passions, we will be disappointed. Will we set aside empty affections, meaningless activity, wasted calories and minutes we thoughtlessly expend, and come as flesh to God’s holy temple? Would we draw close to know Him, to wonder at His vast and mighty deeds? Would we drink long enough in His presence that we are sated and ready for each day, to offer others His wellspring of life?

Lord, satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love, that I may rejoice and be glad all my days. (Psalm 90:14)