My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
Psalm 63:5 (NKJ)
Our series, Desperately Seeking, has focused on what people frantically pursue yet never seem to acquire. It is in pursuing worldly counterfeits that a vicious circle of dissatisfaction and discontentment is created. While these imitations may promise well-being and contentment, they can never deliver on their promises. So what did we discover while desperately seeking?
The first thing we discovered was that we were desperately seeking in the wrong place. Identifying with society, men seek to satisfy their heart’s desires with “tangibles”. Yet each day the tabloids are full of stories of people who by the world’s standard “have it all”, yet still are searching for contentment and peace of mind. It is in the “intangibles” that true satisfaction can be found. King Solomon explains the reason for this disconnect in Ecclesiastes 3:11. It is a matter of the heart: “He (God) has planted eternity in the human heart.” Created in His image, God has made us restless for that which transcends this world. It can only be provided by our Transcendent Creator.
Secondly, we discovered that we were desperately seeking the wrong thing. Matthew 6:33 reminds us of a foundational teaching from Jesus: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Jesus’ invitation to righteousness was an invitation to a new way of living—Kingdom Living. Believers are to prioritize and focus on those things which further the Kingdom of God and not their personal agenda.
The Message paraphrase for this text reinforces this understanding: “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provision. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
Finally, we discovered that we were desperately seeking for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately many of us believe our life belongs only to us and we can do whatever we want with it. For some reason, we believe that our sole purpose in life is to be “happy.” That is the worldview of purposeful living.
However, for believers, Jesus is the model we are to follow if we are to understand our purpose in life (Eph. 2:10) and our role as citizens of God’s kingdom (Phil. 3:20-21). In John 6:38, Jesus clearly articulates His purpose and His role: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” We are to seek to do the will of God wherever it may lead us.
So what have we discovered in our desperate search? As new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), we are to no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh for the lust of men, but for the will of God (1 Pet. 4:2). It is in Him that we live, and move, and have our meaning (Act 17:28). We no longer need to “desperately seek” for we have found in God more than we can ever hope for. Only God can satisfy those desperately seeking because God is the only True Source of Satisfaction.