Satisfied

“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples 
picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”

Matthew 14:20

When I was eight years old, my family went on vacation. We were all getting thirsty, but my little sister was the first to voice it.  We didn’t have any water with us, so my mom gave her some gum to quiet her. It worked for a while, but eventually she exclaimed, "My gum is thirsty too!” That how it has been for all of us since Adam and Eve ate from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” We look for things that satisfy, only to find nothing ever satisfies our deepest soul cravings. Those things we use can be food, leisure activities, jobs, an certain income level, a new outfit, a new  house, or even relationships with people. When we get those things, we find we are dissatisfied and we want something else. Don’t get me wrong, many things we desire can bring temporary satisfaction or temporary sense of accomplishment. Food can satisfy hunger, earning a degree or getting a job can give a sense of accomplishment, saving money for an outfit or a house can give us a feeling of accomplishment. However, those things in and of themselves don’t satisfy us in the deepest places of our hearts. They are blessings when when we are in a right relationship with God. This is because we find satisfaction in all things when we are thankful for God’s provisions. When we are not walking with God, we live to satisfy our flesh, and there is nothing that can do that.     

Our verse above came out of the narrative of Jesus feeding 5,000 people. The people had followed Jesus out of town to an isolated place to hear Him speak. He had compassion on them and began to minister to them. As evening approached, the disciples wanted Jesus to send them away so they could eat, But, Jesus tells them to feed the crowd, which was close to 10,000 if we count the women and the children. The only food available was 2 little fish and 5 small barley loaves of bread, which at the time was the food of poor people. Christ looked to the heavens and gave thanks and broke the bread and the disciples obediently passed it out. When all had eaten, they were satisfied and the disciples gathered 12 basketfuls of leftovers. At first I thought they were satisfied simply because Christ had multiplied the quantity of bread, but now I believe it had more to do with the time they spent with Jesus who had satisfied their spiritual hunger. 

I can’t help but think about the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert. God provided them with bread from heaven. After a few days, the Israelites became rebellious and said they wanted to go back to Egypt so they could have the kinds of foods they were used to having. In response, God flew so many quail in from the sea that they were three feet deep. The people gathered them up all that day and night and the next day. Then while the meat was still between their teeth God’s anger burned against the complainers. All who were discontent and unthankful with God’s provisions had craved other food. After they ate, were struck with a plague and died. The Word says that the manna tasted like coriander and honey, which would be like a sweet wafer. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a sweet wafer than barley bread, yet it was those that were fed the barley that were dissatisfied with what God had provided. In John 6:35 it says, “And Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never hunger and he that believes on me shall never thirst.”  From this, I conclude that an intimate relationship with the Lord gives birth to contentment and satisfaction.     

I wonder if today we are able to be content with what we have. I wonder what we are trying to fill our emotional needs. I wonder if we need God to heal our hurt, but are looking for that healing a part from God. I wonder what we are using to fill the loneliness God put in our hearts to draw us to Him. God is the One who can fill us to satisfaction. If our relationship with God is out of sorts, we will experience uneasiness that will eat at our hearts, which food, things, jobs, or friendships can’t fix.  It is in seeking God and His righteousness and spending time with Him and his people that we experience His gifts and contentment of the heart. Remember the people in Moses' day and in Jesus day experienced great miracles. However, contentment came only to those who basked in their relationship with God.

Prayer:  Father we are such a rebellious people. We forget that you are the source of life and contentment. Please help us to develop sensitivity to your presence in our lives and help us to develop thankful hearts that turn us to you for all that we need. You are our comforter, healer, protector, redeemer, love and joy.  Amen.