This is quite long. But the message has been pressed on my heart for a while now, and the last Scripture in it really brought it all home to me. Are we content with the way things are?
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Are you satisfied?
By Adam Dawkins
So often a gospel is preached to day appealing to the desire of man to be satisfied. It’s so naturally engrained in our way of thinking, especially in the West that even in being sincere about living for God’s glory we slip into talking about satisfaction – we might say, “no-one will find true peace or true satisfaction in their heart until they come to Jesus, repent of their sins and are born again.”
This is true, and there is a godly satisfaction that the Bible talks about; we are told that “the joy of the LORD is [our] strength” (Nehemiah 9v10) and that we have “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4v7).
But, we must remember that this type of satisfaction; the peace and fellowship with God that guards our heart and the filling of His Spirit that quenches the thirst of our soul (see John 4v13-14) is not the end or the purpose of our salvation but the means by which we live out our salvation. Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4v13) and the deep-rooted joy and peace that go beyond any type of emotion strengthen us daily, but for what?
Throughout the Bible we see men of God that are not satisfied! These men of God have eternity in their sights and cannot be satisfied with anything less than the fullness of the glory of God. More than this they will not let themselves be satisfied with anything in this world, for our spirits are meant to yearn constantly this side of eternity.
How many of us would be satisfied to see God? In Exodus 24v9-11 we read that Moses, Aaron Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up “and they saw the God of Israel, and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand.” (Exodus 24v9-10).
Reading this passage we have to ask why. Why did God not lay His hand on the nobles of the children of Israel, I believe the answer is in the next sentence; “So they saw God, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24v10).
They SAW GOD! The saw the God of Israel, they saw the paved work under His feet, and that satisfied them! After that, they ate and drink as if to say, “this is as much as we want”. They didn’t long to be touched by God, to be permanently changed by an encounter with Him, but once they’d seen God and they’d seen Him work in power and seen His glory – that was enough for them. For how many of us would this be the end of our aspirations? How many of us would, once we’ve seen God, be content to not have any further interaction with Him?
Moses was not satisfied with this. The Lord knew that, and I believe that’s why He called him up the mountain. Moses waited for six days in the cloud of the glory of God (v16) “And on the seventh day He called Moses out of the midst of the cloud”.
How often are we satisfied at the end our meetings where we’ve experienced something of the glory of God? How often after three hours in His presence are we satisfied? Would we, like Moses wait in His presence six days as if to say “I’m not leaving the cloud of God’s glory until I meet with God Himself”.
We later learn that Moses refused to leave the desert for the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey unless God’s presence went with them. Moses learnt to be satisfied with nothing less than the presence of Almighty God Himself. Would we have been so eager to get the sand out of our clothes and to stop living in tents in the desert that we would have settled for less of the presence of God in a land flowing with milk and honey? Are we more satisfied with the promises or the presence?
In Isaiah 62v1 he proclaims, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” Are we a people that refuse to be comforted? Will we be satisfied before “her righteousness goes forth as brightness”? (v2). Will we rest with the Church in the poor state it is in today?
In Psalm 77 Asaph in remembering God’s works of old and he says “My soul refused to be comforted” (Psalm 77v2). When we look over the revivals of the past and the moves of God’s spirit, do we refuse to comfort our souls? Do we let our minds wander onto other things, does our conversation drift into the mundane and inevitably more comfortable?
I submit to you that the moment you become satisfied this side of eternity is the moment you settle for less than the fullness of God.
“…men of the world…have their portion in this life, whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” – Psalm 17v14-15.
Men of the world have their portion in this life. I met a man the other day who was talking about all the stuff he’d done in the music industry. He spoke with fondness about all the drugs he’d done, women he’d slept with and bands he’d met – to be truthful he seemed totally satisfied. But one thing saddened me; the most recent date he mentioned in all his wonderful stories was in 1995, twelve years ago. Surely he’s had his portion in this life.
This wonderful portion of scripture also mentions that “they are satisfied with children…” which speaks to me of eternity, and how these men of the world are happy to build an inheritance in the world, and leave it in the world. This last verse, the conclusion of the Psalmist should rock the satisfaction out of our souls.
“I will see Your face in RIGHTEOUSNESS; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness”. Are we like Chirst? Did He not say “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”? – If we hunger and thirst for something dear people, we will not be satisfied until that hunger is met.
So I ask you today, not if you are satisfied, but if you have a holy dissatisfaction for the righteousness of God – and for the face of God Himself. Do you?