We Shall Be Satisfied
On Sunday morning, as I stood with the congregation for the reading of Psalm 65:1-4, one thing in verse 4 stood out to me: “we shall be satisfied.”
Nowadays, the predominant measure of being “satisfied” that we encounter is through relentless requests to complete customer surveys where we are typically asked, “Were you satisfied?” In that context, being “satisfied” is essentially a pass/fail. Did the store have what I wanted or not? Did the representative do what I needed or not? But is this what it means to be satisfied in Psalm 65? Is David pointing to some aspect of God that he is merely acknowledging as adequate? I don’t think so.
The Hebrew term used here goes beyond the idea of merely meeting an expectation and communicates fullness and fulfillment – like hunger being satisfied. With another holiday season so freshly behind us, I’m sure we all know well the feeling of fullness from feasting that leaves us satisfied. It is not merely a matter of having had enough to eat but includes enjoyment and pleasure. It’s the satisfaction of leaning back in your chair after taking in a wide variety of well-prepared foods, letting out a sigh of delighted contentment, and purposefully sitting in it as a means of savoring the enjoyment for as long as possible.
Using the same word in Psalm 63, David poignantly paints the picture of soul satisfaction in God by likening it to this fullness from feasting: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food.”
But what is it in God in which “we shall be satisfied”? In Psalm 65:4, David references the same thing in four ways. Being “near” and “in your courts” and “your house” and “your temple” all point to the reality of the satisfaction that comes from being in the presence of God. It is God’s presence in which “we shall be satisfied,” which David makes clear in Psalm 16:11, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
So, if this answers our questions regarding what it means when David says, “we shall be satisfied” perhaps the more important question is, “Is this what God is to me?” What am I looking to for satisfaction? If I’m being honest, I know where I should be looking, but I’ve settled for far too long for counterfeit joys, which over-promise, under-deliver, and expire too soon.
I know I’m not alone in this. Part of the problem may be that we have tried to seek God, but we have not experienced the satisfaction described in these Psalms, so we’ve stopped trying. But joy in God is not a spiritual plateau we achieve and thereafter simply remain. We would never expect to satisfy our hunger for the week by having one big meal on Sunday and so, we should never expect satisfaction in God without regularly returning to the table for meals. It is no indication of any deficiency in the satisfaction found in God that it needs to be continually pursued. The supremacy of the satisfaction found in God is that we can never exhaust its supply.
Jesus’ invitation is to all of us: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37–38) By the Holy Spirit in us we have this living water – an inexhaustible supply – to return to and draw from to satisfy our souls. In the Holy Spirit, we now have the presence of God in us through which we have the unbreakable hope that “we shall be satisfied.”
I am not one for New Year’s Resolutions but, at this time of year, I can’t help but think about fresh starts. In recognition of the disconnect between the offer of satisfaction in God and the lack in my experience of it, I am taking steps to more diligently pursue my soul’s satisfaction in God. I encourage you to do the same.
~ Andy Barker grew up in Boston, Ma. and relocated to Charlotte in 2008. He currently serves as an elder at LIFE Fellowship. He and his wife Melanie have five children and have attended LIFE Fellowship for ten years.