Satisfied

Hosea 13:4-6

But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.  You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.  I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.  When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

The word “forgot” in this passage actually means in Hebrew “to cease to care”.  These people who were God’s chosen ones…after He had rescued them, cared for them, fed them and satisfied them…after all that…they ceased to care about the One who loved them so.  How is that possible?  How could they, after witnessing so much…just forget?

As I look at this passage I think about myself.  My day to day life…my past…my present and my future.  How many times have I thought that I needed something and just KNEW that if I had that “one thing” it would satisfy me?  Have you ever craved a food, eaten it and then realized that it wasn’t REALLY what you had wanted after all?  Or have you ever wanted something, knowing that if you had that one thing, you would be completely satisfied?  You got that “one thing” and the feeling of satisfaction lasted about as long as the “thing” lasted…not very long.  Then…the feeling starts again.  The feeling of needing to be satisfied by something or someone.  So we go through our lives searching for satisfaction…from one thing to another…looking…waiting…hoping.

The fact is…even in those “things” that we long for and sometimes get…God can be found.  He is the source of everything good that comes into our lives…whether we view it as good or not.  He gives us those things because He loves us.   He is our  Provider…Comforter…Savior…Redeemer…Healer and Friend.  He told the Israelites that they were to love Him, but also to acknowledge Him as God and Savior.  He was all they needed…but in His mercy He gave them so much more.  He rescued them, cared for, fed and satisfied them.  And then they ceased to care.  They thought they had everything they needed…but they were so wrong.

We live in a world that has so much stuff…it seems it gets easier and easier to “cease to care”.  How often do we go through our days without even thinking of the One who tells us to acknowledge Him as God and Savior.  How many problems do we try to solve ourselves without asking for His help?  How often do we take the blessings and forget the One who blessed.  How often do we say thank-you to the One who gives us so much to be thankful for?  Do we complain more than we proclaim His blessings?  Do we ask for His help, allow Him to rescue, care for us, feed us and satisfy us…only to forget?

Since Rick has taken residence in Heaven I am learning that I cannot get through my day without Jesus…literally.  I use to think that I needed Him…and would give Him time in my day as I thought I had “time” to give Him.  You know the drill.  We get up and maybe take time to talk to Him or read a short devotion…if we have time.  Then it’s help get everyone’s day ready and start our own…hardly time for the Lord.  Off to work we go…or onto chores if we stay home…once again…not much time in there for God.  Then at home we have so much responsibility…lawn work, chores, children, homework, church, ballgames, computer, TV.  Where is He in all this?  Do we allow Him time in our thoughts and heart?   He has done so much for us…but have we ceased to care about Him? Are we letting Him satisfy us?

As we allow God to be our source of satisfaction…we change.  Our days change.  Our lives change.  When He satisfies us we are truly satisfied.  Then, when we receive the rescuing, caring and feeding…we won’t cease to care.  Because our focus will not be on the “thing”, but on the One.  There will be so many times after He becomes our satisfaction that life will be good…as we perceive good.  But, there will also come those times when life will become hard…really hard.  When He has become our satisfaction and is all we have…He will truly be all we need.  I am living that reality.  I am learning everyday that He wants to satisfy me with Himself…deep in my soul.  He wants to be THE One who satisfies…will we allow Him to be?

Sending much love,

Debbie

This entry was written on April 27, 2010 at 11:45 pm