The business of being satisfied

The Lord has been gathering my thoughts and centering them on the Word, which can cut to the core of any situation.
 This morning in the small three-chapter book of Joel, God cut to the core again!
We are a generation, a culture, a race, a people...I am a person driven by wants.
This is a problem, on the most basic of levels, simply because these things are not the deeply fulfilling love (you know the kind that will take all of eternity to bask in and understand) that our souls crave.


The Rolling Stones were not the only people to ever feel they couldn't be satisfied.. I'm speaking from personal experience here, people!
 "if only it were Friday already" "if only I could get a massage" "if only I had a best friend" "if I were prettier, nicer, smarter, more athletic " You get the picture.
Well here in Joel, God tells a failing Israel something that I rejoiced in hearing and was quite shocked at this morning...
"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. " 
Here in verse 26, for the second time (see verse 19), God tells the children of Israel
 "you will be satisfied." 
This is not like parents telling their kids "you will help us do yard work and you will like it"
This is the answer to the deep soul craving for satisfaction that the shamed children of God had in the time of Joel, which I, as His child now, struggle to know experientially.
This is a word spoken tenderly to those in the midst of shame and war and famine and all kids of struggle.
Keeping in mind that we were promised trial and tribulation, let's draw our attention to these fittly words in Joel and the ones that follow it.
 He will satisfy me. This is not just a possibility, but it is the answer I need.
 Jesus is in the business of satisfying. Namely, He satisfied the debt we owe to God the Father, making us able to come to Him one on One.
This is the good news, the gospel- He is what He offers!
He offers Himself to me that I might know satisfaction.
He is mine! So thankful for that..
And as if this promise of satisfaction weren't enough, Joel goes in to tell us about how the Holy Spirit will be ours too, and the empowering that will come with Him so that when the awesome day of the Lord comes we will not be shamed!

Friends, He alone is our satisfaction for today, our hope to be satisfied tomorrow and our assurance that eternity will know no greater love that Christ offering Himself to us.
 Because of this, we can pray and I am praying that today and tomorrow and all the days to come I'll be satisfied in this- that Jesus satisfied my debt before the Father and that He offers Himself to me daily for the deepest fulfilling of all that my soul craves.
What a perspective changer for this Friday!

 "While I draw this fleeting breath, 

When mine eyes shall close in death,

 When I soar to worlds unknown, 

See Thee on Thy judgement throne,

 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee."

Posted from Blogium for iPhone