Finding the Path to a Satisfied Life
By Ed Jordan
There are two basic human needs we all have. One is the need to experience a sense of security in life. The other is the need to live in such a way that we have a genuine sense of satisfaction as to the quality of our lives. The current situation where it seems that the whole world has charged everything they ever wanted in life has made everything seem so “easy,” and given us a false sense of security. Now that the credit card bill has come due for payment, the enormous debt, and accompanying unpredictability of any real economic recovery on the horizon, has brought the security of us all into question. We are insecure about today as well as tomorrow.
A second major need of humans is to experience genuine satisfaction in the way we invest our lives, and the resulting tangible evidence that our lives have indeed produced satisfactory results and byproducts in the sight of eternal God, before whom we will all one day stand to give an account for what we did with our lives, why we did it, and the fruit that came from our decisions.
Why does a person spend hours doing a woodworking project? Why do we spend years in colleges, graduate schools, or work tirelessly for years at various work places? At the root of most of what we do is a human need to find personal satisfaction in regards to our contribution to life on this planet. We want to be the best parents we can, be a person who is remembered as honorable, and feel like we have accomplished something significant in some area of our lives. We want to live securely in our own place, with a secure income that is adequate to cover our needs, and hopefully also provide a few of our “wants” as well.
Recently on Sunday mornings we were exploring some of the crises we humans get into, and how God can deliver us from our distress when we call out to Him and follow His advice for how to get out of that problem. In Psalm 107:4 and 7 (NIV) we read: “Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle,” and then in verse 7: “He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.” In between these two verses we read that the people realized that they were at an impasse and couldn’t find the road to security and satisfaction. So they called out to the Lord, asking Him to help them. In response, God led them to a straight path that led them to an inhabited city, which meant a place of security with food, water, walls and protection.
We often spend most of our lives wandering around, looking for the road or way that leads to security and satisfaction. God is waiting for us to admit we need Him, and His assistance. As soon as we do that, Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf. John 14:10) comes to lead us into the Kingdom of God (which is a realm of life lived in a personal relationship with eternal God, which begins the moment we commit our lives to Jesus).
But, not only does God provide us security in the midst of an unpredictable world of circumstances, He also fully satisfies our hungry and thirsty souls with all that is good (cf. Ps. 107:9). The word “satisfy” which is used here means to satiate, to permeate, to overflow our souls which had been hungry and thirsty with an abundance of all of the good that God wants to give to us. God doesn’t just give us a drop of water, but saturates us with His life-giving water.
Are you wandering around, searching for the way to have security and satisfaction in life? Jesus is the Way. Call out to Him, and then follow Him daily on the path of God’s goodness.
