Satisfied.

I’ve had many discussions in the past month about “satisfaction.” And of course, when it keeps coming up, God must be trying to tell me something, right?

What does it mean to be satisfied?

Satisfied (adj.) contented; pleased

Satisfy (verb) to meet the expectations, needs, or desires of (someone); to fulfill (a desire or need)

I feel like this word is so fitting for this time of year.  The media consumes our minds with the temptation to buy, buy, buy! You see the holiday sales everywhere, and you want to get everyone the perfect gift.  And of course, we all have our own wish lists full of goodies that we would love to love for a few days past the 25^th until they become just another “thing” in the closet, in the drawer, on the shelf, etc.

Clearly we are not truly satisfied by things.  We know this in our minds, just not always in our souls.

But what about being satisfied in Christ?  The Samaritan woman learned quickly that even just a sip of Living Water would satisfy her eternally. 

“'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).

At first, she thought she would never have to draw water from the physical well again.  But, in fact, this water that she drew from would bless her forever.  She still walked to the well everyday (perhaps in the early morning, now that she knew how loved she was, and shared this joy with others), and filled her buckets.  Normal life went on.  But inside, her soul was revived.  It was satisfied.

You may be familiar with Psalms 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

I was talking to a good friend of mine about this. God is our Shepherd. So we are his sheep.

If you were a sheep and you were brought to green pastures, your first instinct would not be to rest.  It would be “Grass! Eat!” But this passage is infused with peace and Sabbath.  So the sheep must be so satisfied, that when God brings them to a pasture, they are not distracted by the grass.  They rest and take in His glory. 

Now, this means that as they walked through the dessert places where there was no abundance, God still provided.  And he provided enough so that when they got to the pasture, they wanted nothing.

Am I trusting God that he will provide when I have nothing, and am I satisfied in him when I have everything?

This year, God has taught me much about joy.  I believe joy is satisfaction in God.  It’s not a situational, or dependent variable, it is a part of God that remains in our hearts when we trust him fully.  “In [his] presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

I have felt more joy in this past year than ever before as I have grown in Christ.  It is such a blessing to rest in God’s presence.  I pray that you feel his joy day to day, especially in this season of faithful expectation.