The Lord wants to be your Chef!
Psalms 107:8-9: Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
I just finished eating a wonderful breakfast. The menu was eggs over easy, hash browns with onions, whole wheat toast with grape jelly and turkey sausage patties. I also had a gourmet cup of coffee. I am satisfied. But one thing is sure, in a few hours, I will be craving a good hamburger and another cup of coffee. I won’t get them because the nutritionists tell me that what I like and what is good for me is two different things, and I have had enough of what I like for one day
The Lord tells a woman in John chapter 4 verse 10 through 14 that He can provide her with water that will completely satisfy. He compares His water to water from a clear cool stream or perhaps water from an artesian well where the water bubbles to the surface cool and filtered and satisfying. His water is not the dead water that has been caught and kept in a cistern. In John 6:35, the Lord gives us further explanation and says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
Obviously, the Lord is talking about spiritual satisfaction rather than physical satisfaction. The water is the Holy Spirit which satisfies, and the bread is the Lord Himself. We partake of that break and of that water when we believe in Him. We believe in Him when we believe His promises and revelations as found in the Word of God.
How many of us are really satisfied? How many of us really want to be satisfied? From a natural stand point, eating is one of our greatest pleasures. Who would want to lose their appetite for another good meal? Who would want to never crave a clear cool drink again? The only people who would like water that completely satisfies would be people for whom a drink of water is not readily available. The same would be true of those who do not have enough quality food to eat. If a person were to go to bed hungry and thirsty, these blessings would be very satisfying. Never having to worry about dying of thirst or starvation would be a great blessing. But for someone who has never been really hungry or really thirsty, I suspect that there would be little desire to have their hunger and thirst quenched once and for all.
The woman at the well in John 4 was burdened by her need for water. She had to carry the water in a container. She was ready to give that chore up. She was also burdened by five failed marriages and a present live-in relationship. She confessed her sins to the Lord who knew all about them. She then found out that the One she was talking to was in fact the Messiah of the Jewish literature. This Messiah had come to her personally. She believed, she was satisfied and she left her water pot at the well and went and told others. She would need physical water again, but she would always be satisfied by the drink that the Lord had given her spiritually at that well. It had become a well of water springing up into everlasting life. She had been satisfied.
The Lord had done a great miracle in John 6. He had fed the multitude physically but they had not been fed spiritually. He says that they were seeking Him because of the miracle but He also says, in John 6:36, “But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.” They liked eating of his loaves but they didn’t want to believe In Him. They were never satisfied.
Why is there so much arguing and striving about spiritual things today? Is it because we are like the Athenians in Acts 17 who think that logic and philosophy have the answer as to Who God is and as to how we can know Him? Is it because we are not simple enough to just believe what God has said about His Son in the Bible? Is it because we try to explain away the miracles associated with the Lord’s first coming? Is it because we do not believe the witnesses that saw the living Savior after the crucifixion? Is it because we do not think we will be held accountable for our sin and our unbelief? Even those of us who take the title of Christian today seem to have problems with being simple enough to evidence real satisfaction in their relationship with the Lord.
He satisfies the longing soul. Most people are searching for something new and exciting even in spiritual things. But real satisfaction is right in front of us. The woman at the well was satisfied. She believed in the Lord. The multitude that ate of the miraculous loaves was not satisfied. They did not believe in the Lord. And that makes all the difference.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of June 21, 2015