Are you satisfied today?
Is your heart at rest, or are you longing for something more?
Do you wonder if checking the next box off in your “life plan” will satisfy the innermost longings of your heart?
Are you placing your hope for joy and peace on someone or something—a guy, a ring, a baby, a job, your retirement, that new house or car?
This quote by John Piper, residing on my computer desktop, speaks directly to the heart of our contentment. It says …
“God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.”
Now that doesn’t mean that we won’t have desires in life, things that we long for, strive for, or pine for. But these words do remind us that contentment in God delights His heart and brings Him the most honor and glory.
We are human flesh, but often, the longings of our humanness push past the deeper, more fulfilling desires of what our spirits truly need and ultimately crave. The longings of our flesh often preclude us from receiving the life-giving, satisfying, soul-filling contentment we find in our greatest blessing—Jesus.
But what exactly does it mean to be satisfied in Him?
In Philippians 3:7-8, the Apostle Paul said, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Paul’s love, his true longing, was Christ Jesus. Knowing Him, serving Him, and glorifying Him—that was Paul’s greatest satisfaction.
Perhaps it was Paul’s suffering that caused the longings of his heart to crave that which he could not see but had already attained and had vowed to live for, honor, and praise. In the words of Paul we should live, “to the praise of His glorious grace.” (Ephesians 1:6)
Could we strive to say that in our lives?
“To the praise of His glorious grace.”
Whatever comes our way—in the waiting, in the grief, in the absence, throughout life’s trials and struggles—could our response be just that—”to the praise of His glorious grace”?
Say it aloud … “To the praise of His glorious grace.”
Whatever comes your way.
However long you must wait and pray.
Amid the struggles, the disappointments, the heartaches, will you choose to glorify God and be most satisfied in Him?
I don’t know what you’re longing for today. Perhaps it’s a doctor’s report, a job interview, the stock market, or that beautiful new home. Maybe it’s the next season in life that you’re longing for.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to ask yourself this question:
Am I glorifying God by being most satisfied in Him, or am I dishonoring Him with my actions, my attitudes, and my disparaging?
The longings of your heart, though often given to you as a blessing from God, will never be enough to satisfy your soul that longs exclusively for God.
However, if your longing for God is paramount and your life is poured out “to the praise of His glory,” then and only then will all your earthly longings be truly fulfilled. It’s strange, I know. But it’s true. As your heart becomes more and more complete in God, He expands your heart and fills it with abounding love, joy, and peace that you never ever knew possible.
Bringing God glory satisfies the heart. It’s that simple.
So, where is your satisfaction, friend?
God is most glorified when you are most satisfied in Him, and you are most satisfied when your life is poured out to the praise of His glory.
Be satisfied today as you glorify the King of your heart!
