Satisfied

The sun is rising, I’m drinking coffee, bleary eyed, hair all over my face, reading my morning devotions and I come to this statement. “There is so much we do not have because we do not acknowledge God as the answer to that need.”

Dead stop.

God has many names in scripture.

He is the Lifter of my Head. “You O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3) How many times have I been down, life’s a mess, no idea the next step, exhausted and then I read Psalm 3:3 and Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes and look at the stars. Who created these? He brings them out like an army, one by one, calling each of them by name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not one of them are missing.” He is Almighty God and He lifts my chin up to look at how big He is…and changes my whole perspective, lifts my focus from the problems to His face and His power.


He is my Friend. John 15:15. When we’ve moved….again…and there is no one that I have known longer than five minutes, He’s there and we have a long history. We’ve shared joys and sorrows over the years, heartbreak and victories. He knows me well. We go back a long way.

He is my Hope. Psm71:5. When I have prayed and there still there seems to be no hope, he gives me a verse like this one, “You O Lord are my hope, You are my confidence…” and reminds me that He is enough, He gives hope… or Romans 15:5 “And the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”

He is Sovereign; He is in control. “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all….” (Psm 103:19) Isn’t that comforting to know that He ultimately is in control of this country, my future and that of my family? And He’s the one I’d want to be in control.

He is my Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven….” Father. He is not God from afar but a God who relates to us as a father to his child. “No one can measure or understand the depths of his understanding,” ( Isa 40:28) because He created me, He loves me as a father loves his child and this father’s love is unconditional. “The eternal God is your refuge and underneath you are the everlasting arms.” Deut.33:27 When it seems no one understands or cares, he does.

He is my Advocate. He sits on the right hand of God and prays for me specifically. So when I come before God and confess that sin…again or words don’t come, my heart cannot be expressed, He knows and goes to the Father on my behalf. He is my personal representative to God Almighty. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He lives forever to intercede before God on my behalf.”

He is the Spirit of truth. John 16:13. His Holy Spirit resides in me and guides me into all truth. When I’m torn by differing opinions, I can go to him and find solid answers, truth.

He is my Provider. Philippians 4:19…”and my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” All I need … maybe not all I want but certainly all I need. When the job has ended, when the savings are gone, when the husband leaves, when the job is bigger than me, when I have no clue what to do with my kid, the promise stands…He will provide.

At this point, I’m standing up shouting Glory! He is my Shield! Thank you Jesus! He is my Wonderful Counselor! Praise God! He is my Helper, my Strong Tower! Hallelujah! Man, at this point I am marching around the room waving my white hankerchief!

And then I read…

He is the bread of life. John 6:35. “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger; and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” Ooooo. Room gets silent.

He is my Comforter. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” Coming in for a landing. It’s getting personal now.

I’m sure you’ve read that old prayer that says something like, “O God, I thank you for such a good morning. I’ve not once lost my temper or said anything smart alec. I’ve not gossiped, complained or whined. I’ve only thought good thoughts and loved you with all my heart and soul this morning and my neighbor as myself. Now as I get out of bed….”

Sometimes I feel that way about my quiet times in the mornings. I’m in a bubble curled up in my chair reading, praying, connecting, rejoicing, listening, being still and singing His praises.

Then I get dressed and go to work.

Late afternoon I come home tired, stressed, irritable, hungry after a long and very trying day. Whiney kids, whiney parents. Sick kids, absent, clueless parents. Everybody’s complaint is an emergency. Loads of paperwork, always paperwork. Fill in your own blanks. Now, at 5 p.m….is He the bread of life? No. A loaf of bread and a stick of butter is. Is He my Comforter? No. The last four pieces of chocolate cake is my comfort food…and then I calm down, take a deep breath, and begin my second shift at home. Funny thing though, no matter how much bread and butter I eat, it doesn’t satisfy. No matter how much cake, I’m not satisfied. I may feel full to the point of feeling sick but I’m not satisfied. I just add guilt and 1000 calories to my tired, stressed, irritable body in 90 seconds flat.

I heard Mark Driscoll say that idolatry is our heart clinging to something or someone other than God to meet your needs and exchanging the truth for a lie. We begin to worship things other than God and they begin to rule over us. Behind all this is the deception of Satan who provides a hook and attaches whatever we personally find tempting. Then he provides the lie which says, “This is good. It will make you feel better. This will calm you down, make you happy, fill that empty spot, make you feel loved. It will bring you peace.” But he is a liar. And the promises he makes are lies.

We read this and say, “I don’t worship food, I don’t worship men or money or my best friend or that glass of wine or running marathons or my kids…..” But when pressed, stressed, at my wit’s end, agitated, frantic for relief or answers, in the pit of despair or just plain down and tired… who or what do I turn to first? Knee jerk, who or what is it?

Correct answer….like a toddler who is distressed and wailing makes a beeline for his mom and is swept up into her arms, so I need to make a beeline for my “chair” or my “sofa” where my predawn meetings with God are so precious. I need to sit down, close my eyes, take a deep breath, calm my mind and heart, be still and be quiet. When I’ve done this, then….I need to unload it all on Him and wait for him to give me peace, strength, comfort, rest for my soul, a new perspective.

Then….I go for a run, cook dinner, eat a piece of cake, solve family problems, gear up for another day at work.

This is a habit I so desire. I can testify the alternative does not work. The explanation by Mr. Driscoll was an eye opener.

To restate the quote from Stormie Omartian, “There is so much we do not have because we do not acknowledge God as the answer to that need.”

What need do you have? What need surfaces all the time and what or who do you turn to?

We serve a HUGE God. He provides so many good things for us to enjoy…. husbands, children, food, girlfriends, athletic interests, work, money to shop, a beautiful world to see but He needs to be first. In your heart you need to know that absolutely nothing could replace Him because all your needs are met in Him. Everything and everyone else is icing on the cake. He is what completes you …He is the heart and soul of all you need to be satisfied.

That song is so true, “Who can satisfy my soul like You? Who can always comfort me and love me like You do? Who could ever be more faithful, true? Lord Jesus, oh Lord Jesus, only You.”