Complete Satisfaction

 The Puritan George Swinnock once wrote: 

"God is a satisfying portion. This world may fill a man,

but can never satisfy him...If a man were crowned king 

of all the world to enjoy the treasures, honors, and pleasures

that all its kingdoms can yield; if he had the society of angels

and the glorified saints as friends, and could enjoy all this for

the duration of the world, yet without God, he would be 

unsatisfied...However, once let God possess his heart, and then,

and not before, his infinite desires are satisfied in the bosom

of his Maker. God fully satisfies."

 Think about that for a moment: God fully satisfies. What is there that we could truly want more than God? After all these years of coping with our problems and seeking out new ways to fill the emptiness inside, haven't we come up continually with nothing? The longing never leaves, never is pacified. Behind the door, we recognize the deep despair we carry constantly. We feel the void in our lives that tells us something is missing. How long do we let this go on before we finally fall to our knees like the man in the story Spurgeon told and say, "Come, be my guest?" What do we think we're saving Jesus for? Do we think opening the door in faith is only for the good people? Do we shake our heads and say that life with God isn't for us because we fear what surrender might require of us? 

 Preacher David Clarkson said one time:

"Do not be satisfied that you see God until you see Him 

to be your God."

Christ is forever Savior, no matter what. But He cannot be known as your Savior, my Savior, until we welcome Him into the darkness. We have to trust and believe God enough to let Him fill our emptiness. Only He can repair and replace the aching void in our lives...the human longing that was created for Him. Mankind was made to worship and enjoy God. We were formed for the honor and pleasure of our Maker; we were intended to find our satisfaction in the One who gave us life. 

 The brokenness of the world in which we live has made it harder to experience the full satisfaction of God. There are so many things out there that promise a good life: appearance, financial success, perfect family, perfect house, sexual pleasure...literally everything! And yet, as Swinnock pointed out, without God, we can have all these things and still feel wanting. We were made to crave for God. Psalm 107: 9 declares to us that God satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. God knows how to meet the needs of hurting people like us. He has never failed to come to the aid of the desperate heart and offer it new life. But do we see Him as a "satisfying portion?" Our "satisfying portion?"

 Are we willing to pursue God, to "come after" Him in such a way that all the things around us seem less than desirable? Christ, after all, passionately comes after us. We must decide to rise up and follow Him. In embracing the life He offers us on the other side of the door, our hearts ought to embrace Him in gratitude and gladly allow Him to meet the desires of our inner souls. Psalm 37:4 promises that by delighting ourselves in the Lord and in what He has planned for our lives, we will find the fulfillment we've been so earnestly looking for. 

 God fully satisfies. Opening the door means discovering a life-time of never ending wholeness and joy, of experiencing a completeness that can only be found in Him. This world may temporarily fill us but can never give us the eternal love, the unconditional forgiveness, the freely-offered acceptance that awaits us when we journey with God. In Him, there are never any questions about who validates us, whether or not we're beautiful, if we're approved. His grace allows us to see the wonderful pleasures that are in store for us and ready for our taking in endless supply. In knowing the love of Christ which surpasses our understanding, we can be filled with the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:19). The limitless supply of God's goodness is there, waiting for us to tap into it. 

God fully satisfies. Will you allow Him to satisfy you?