The focus of my Bible study this morning was finding satisfaction in God. In the workbook section of this study, the author asked us to describe the physical manifestations of being hungry and thirsty. She then compared those obvious signs to ones that demonstrate spiritual hunger. It’s easy to identify my physical needs, but often it is much harder to be in tune with my spiritual needs.

In Isaiah 55:1-2, God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to show us what our priorities should be: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” These verses made me think about how often I focus on things that will temporarily satisfy me—the idea of instant gratification—and how often I shrug off those things that will ultimately be more rewarding and satisfying because they require work, self-discipline, patience, etc.

God is telling us that once we willingly seek our satisfaction in Him alone we will be abundantly blessed. It is this wholehearted surrender that we “capable” humans struggle with; it goes against our sinful nature to want to give ourselves over to God’s will completely. I think this is because we aren’t convinced that He really can’t satisfy us. We give mouth service to this idea, but our lives reflect something much different. We spend a lot of time working to gain temporary treasures. This year, God has shown me that it isn’t necessary to forego creature comforts, but if my desire for these things gets out of balance with my desire to know God more, it’s time to examine my priorities.

The idea of satisfaction stands out to me when I think about those we come in contact with each week in Linn Park. Our purpose of going to the park is to meet physical needs to open a door for God to meet spiritual needs. As I sit here in my comfortable home, I’m reminded of how much I have and how much I take for granted. Those of us who have much often have the hardest time of finding God—it’s because we feel that we can handle the details, we only need God to handle the big picture.

Father, help me to rely on you to meet all of my needs, not just the ones I can’t handle myself. May my satisfaction come only from You.

—Paula