Tag: satisfies

41.l. “Reflect on this past year”

 

 

Psalms 107:9  For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

 Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

 Jeremiah 31:25    For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

 Matthew 5:6     “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 Luke 1:53    he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

 Revelation 7:16-17   They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

What fills your desires? What consumes your time? What defines the purpose of your life? What are you chasing after? Could it be that you are chasing after things in this world to fill the void and emptiness in your soul?

When we give thought to what drives us and satisfies our soul and fills us with purpose, it is eternally important that we identify that longing within us as spiritual and godly hunger. Billy Graham, often said that this longing for purpose is the ultimate intent of our creator. It is a void (space/emptiness) inside each of us. It’s that void that many people try to fill with wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, sports, gambling, power, beauty, work, recognition, etc…… They search for their purpose or significance to fill this void by every possible means but do so in vain.

The problem is, things that seem right in our eyes and even the culture that we live in are the things that will never fill this void.   Our natural intents are toward every conceivable idea that seems right and has been confirmed by all means possible by others who say this is how they found purpose and satisfaction in their lives. The problem is that all of these attempts mask it, cover it with brief moments of satisfaction but will always fall short of putting one drop of soul-satisfying nourishment into this void. The only way to satisfy it is with more of the same or trying something different, but in the end, they lead you right back to where you were, or worse. The world offers what it can never give. The problem is that these may be brought to us through temptations by Satan and we are easily tempted by them, or worse we are not even tempted, we just choose to close our minds to things of God.  Satan does not need to tempt us at all.  How sad is that?

God stands at the door of our hearts, knocking. He offers forgiveness of sin. He fills those who repent, believe, trust, follow, and obey His Word to come into them and give them living water and the bread of life, not only now but for eternity. He promises to fill them with the Holy Spirit. To those who keep their eyes and focus on Him with the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, he promises to fill this void with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To these, their longing for purpose and satisfaction has not only filled but it is overflowing continually.  You may think this is not true and how can this satisfy the emptiness I am feeling deep within my soul?  It is a promise of God. He never lies. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son to redeem us. He gave us the written Word of God to encourage, convict, and lead us to the very point of exposing the void in our hearts with a purpose and satisfaction this world can never do.  Intentionally choose to examine your heart in light of God’s Word and what satisfies it and gives your purpose. If you find an emptiness or void open the door to your heart and purpose to honor and glorify Jesus Christ anew with all you think, say, and do.

 

31.l. “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness”

 

Psalm 107:9   “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (, NKJV).

 Isaiah 55:1-3   “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; 

 Jeremiah 31:14   my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

 Jeremiah 31:25   For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”

 Matthew 5:6   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 Revelation 7:16-17  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Do you ever wonder why there are so many self-help, self-satisfaction, and finding self-purpose books being written, published, marketed, and being sold? There are tens of thousands out there. You would think if there are this many books out there someone would find the solution to these longings in our soul and that these longs are very real. 

Billy Graham, said something like this; “There’s a place inside each individual, that if it is continually being filled will satisfy our inner soul. This is a reserved place for God and His Word in our lives. It is a place where true and lasting satisfaction, peace, joy, strength, and purpose find a residence in our hearts and minds.  This is the place reserved for God alone in our lives. Many people try to fill this place with wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol or work, but do so in vain. They long to fill this place/void in their soul. It is the place where purpose, contentment, inner peace, happiness, fulfillment, joy, etc…. are only fully satisfied when we hunger, desire, thirst, and long for God.  Only God can fill it and continually refresh it to overflowing abundance.  

The problem is, the things of this world (wealth, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol, or work) are fleeting, they’re broken, and they’ll eventually let you down. Money and possessions can be ripped away from you in a moment. Relationships falter. Drugs and alcohol wear off and leave you right back where you were, or worse. 

God is the One who refreshes our soul and dwells in our innermost self, meeting those needs and desires that seem to be so elusive. We hunger for Him, and only He alone can satisfy. There is darkness and void in our soul when anything other than God is being put into it. There is light for the soul when this place is filled and continually refreshed by God. 

When God is rejected, put aside, neglected, marginalized, or denied there is no light for our soul.  Though He may quietly whisper; “come to Me and I will give you rest”, our ears deafen and our hearts harden to His repeated calls of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. It is in this rejection of His grace, mercy, and love when we turn to something else to fill the void of God in our lives. All the Holy Spirit-filled joy, peace, strength, hope, love, purpose, and true contentment we could have in our lives is discarded for worldly ideas of the same but which will never accomplish.

You will seek me and find me

Psalms 107:4  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;  hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

 Deuteronomy 8:15    who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,

 Deuteronomy 32:10     “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

 Ezekiel 34:12     As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

 Numbers 14:33    And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.

 Judges 15:18-19     And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”  And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day.

 Lamentations 2:19     “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.”

 2 Corinthians 12:8-10    Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 Jeremiah 29:12-14     Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

 2 Corinthians 1:8-10    For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

There is no changing in God.  He remains the same, creator, mighty, awesome in power, steadfast love, grace, mercy, and long-suffering toward His creation, mankind.  Life would tell us there is little that changes for mankind as our nature would experience – pleasure, pain, purpose, satisfaction, toil, trouble, sickness, death, life, joy, anger, pride, humbleness, laughter, bitterness, praise, judgmental, forgiving, and crying.   We try to find much of our way in this life apart from God.  Apart from trusting in, relying on, clinging to, and giving thanks to Him.  Even when we think we are walking each day with Him, we limit what we think He can do.  Scripture has been given to us so that we might know Him more, understand Him more, love Him more, rely on Him more, trust in Him more, run to Him faster, listen to His quiet whispers of guidance more, seek Him more, and believe in Him more.  He never changes.  He is the same today and forever.  Spend time in His word. Seek Him and you will find Him.  Sometimes we need someone to just encourage us to run to Him.  It seems so obvious but many times it is the last thing we do.

Troubled Heart

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalms 30:2  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Psalms 6:2  Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.

Psalms 51:8   Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

Psalms 103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalms 118:18  The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Psalms 147:3   He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Exodus 15:26  saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

2 Kings 20:5   “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD,

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord

Throughout our life we will encounter many different trials and go through many uncomfortable circumstances.  Think back and look at your life.  I read something once that said look at all of those “Worst Days of your Life” and know that you have survived them all!!!  Do we think for a minute that God was not in control or have our best interest in mind for His honor and glory?  We are human and like David, while in these times of troubles we have questions, concerns, worries, anxious thoughts, doubts, and sleepless nights. David cried out to God with all of these and after doing so he came to a place of proclaiming God’s promises.  Whatever you are going through God is much bigger than it.  He is more powerful that it. He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  So how do we find peace in and through these times?  Trust in, cling to, rely on, and wait for God.  He has given us great and precious promises so that by them our faith and hope maybe found complete trusting in His sovereignty, power, strength and steadfast love.