Satisfied…
My belly growls, but I can’t think of a single thing that will satisfy. I wander into my pantry and consider my options. I shake my head and move to the refrigerator. After sorting the left-overs into moldy and not moldy stacks, I still cannot find anything to satisfy my growling stomach. I sigh and move back to the pantry hoping something will grab my attention, but I walk out of the pantry still empty.
I knew I had to eat something, but what? I open the refrigerator and settle on cheese and turkey pepperonis. I know it won’t completely fill my hunger, but I have to eat. I round of my lunch with baby carrots and some fruit bites. I eat slowly, a trick I learned to help me feel full. I drink water help me feel full. Yet I am not satisfied. I feel like I need more, but more what?
Isn’t this how we often feel about life? We look around for something to fill us, make us feel loved, alive. We search every where we can think of and we don’t quite find what we are looking for. So we settle for something we know won’t quite satisfy because we must do something about the growling.
Sometimes we settle for causes and activity. Other times we settle for taking a break or a vacation. Maybe we seek to fill our hunger for love in an inappropriate relationship. We seek satisfaction in people, things, jobs, causes, or even ourselves.
But God created our hunger for a reason. Our physical hunger for food and our emotional hunger for love, joy, satisfaction. All our hungers are to remind us this life is not the end. People will let us down, we will be hungry again, activity comes to an end. Yet we still hunger. God wants us to hunger for Him more than we hunger for children, activity, satisfaction, food, drink, fame, or anything else.
He longs to satisfy us with Himself. He wants to fill all our longings with Himself. He leaves some longings as they are to remind us this is not our home so we long for His kingdom to come.
May we seek to find satisfaction in Him alone.
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18
Father God help us to hunger for You more than we hunger for anything else. Help us to find satisfaction in You as You long to show us compassion and bless us who wait for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
