Satisfied in Jesus - in every season of life ~ by Amy Vest

Are you satisfied?  How would you honestly answer that question?

I reached the point where I realized I wasn’t.  I was increasingly aware of a longing to be satisfied that ran deep in my heart and of the inability of even good things to meet the deepest longings of my soul.  Through this time, the Lord graciously continued to open my eyes to see that these longings could never be met by anything on this earth.  The only answer was the One who created me with those longings designed to drive me to Himself – the One who, “satisfies the longing soul” (Psalm 107:9) – Jesus.


As I knew Jesus more and more, I saw more clearly and experienced more deeply the increasing satisfaction that resulted from the fullness of who He is, and my heart cried, “This is what I have been longing for for so long - Jesus!”

The reality of these truths flooded my heart with joy:
~ He is more wonderful than words can say
~ The life in Him that we were created to live fulfills beyond expression
~ We are more desperately needy of Him – His salvation from our sins, His sanctification through His Word and work, and His all satisfying heart and love – than we can know
~ He is so fully sufficient for our every need and longing

My heart found rest in satisfaction in Jesus alone.

It is as we “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:7) that we realize more and more that Jesus is the Bread of Life who says, “whoever comes to me shall not hunger…” (John 6:35)  Other things will leave us empty and dissatisfied – Jesus never will.  When you personally come to Him as the answer to the longings of your soul and experience for yourself the satisfaction of who He is, you will realize that “Christ is all” (Col. 3:11).  You have all in Jesus - You need nothing else in order to be fully satisfied.

The question is – Will you receive the grace given you to forsake pursuing and hoping in things that are worth less and don’t satisfy, in order to seek Jesus and the satisfaction that He brings? 

To taste Jesus as we were created to will take effort by the Lord’s grace – and it is worth every ounce!  It means letting things like the internet, appearance, activities, shopping, etc. be less of a priority and spending time seeking Jesus in His Word, prayer, worship, reading, fellowship, etc….  It is exchanging shallow excitement of the flesh for the deepest pleasure of the soul.  The more we tasting of Jesus, the more we will lose our taste for lesser things and life comes into perspective. 

Our sinful hearts become distracted, believe the lie that we can be satisfied in other things, realize the emptiness that results, and need Jesus to lovingly lift our eyes to Him to see afresh that nothing other than Him satisfies.  He is faithful.  Once you have known the satisfaction of Jesus, everything else pales in comparison.  Though you will face distractions, you will always know He alone is the answer to the longings of your soul.  We cannot find satisfaction anywhere else.

As you know Jesus more, you will see that He is – beautiful, perfect, faithful, pure, loving, strong, sovereign, forgiving, unchanging - and we could go on forever!   And He wants you to go on knowing more of His goodness and growing in satisfaction in Him all of your life – and throughout eternity!  This will enable you to say with the apostle Paul, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8)

We all walk through different seasons of life – single, married, young, elderly, sick, healthy, etc. – and in every season Jesus offers all that we need in Him as the One who “is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb. 13:8)  You don’t need, and can’t look, to anything or anyone else to satisfy, because they never ultimately can – people are broken, sinful, and incapable of fully fulfilling, health disappears, and circumstances change.  Jesus is the only source of true and unchanging satisfaction.  When you are living satisfied in Jesus, any of these other things that the Lord gives are added blessings from Him to help you know, delight, and be satisfied more in the Giver of the blessings, but in and of themselves, they cannot satisfy.  Jesus alone fully satisfies. 

I specifically want to share a few thoughts as a single sister for my unmarried sisters:
~ Jesus is all you need.  As you allow Him to be everything to you, He will be, and oh, it is so wonderful!  You need nothing else to bring you joy, contentment, and satisfaction – in any season of life.  You have all you need in Jesus.  This glorifies Him greatly as you show through your radiant contentment in Him that He fully satisfies!
~ You don’t need a guy to be satisfied!  Marriage is a beautiful earthly picture of the greatest Love story of all time – Jesus and His Bride, the Church – and is a blessing when brought about in God’s way, His time, and to the right person.  But, no human can fully satisfy – only Jesus can. 
~ Use this time to be as satisfied in Jesus as you can and help others to do so, too.  This is what you are here for, the best use of your time, and is the best preparation for whatever your future holds!
~ The right guy will be attracted to one who is in love with, content in, and pouring her life out for Jesus.
~ The Lord’s will for you is perfect.  The chief end of man is, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  The Lord knows how you can best enjoy and glorify Him – single or married.  The more you know Him and are satisfied in Him, the more you know you can trust His heart for you.  As His own, let your heart cry be, “I am Yours, Lord, please do with me whatever You will!”
~ For as long as the Lord has you single – for a few months, years, or all of your life – He will always be enough!
~ Embrace Him and satisfaction in Him today and every other day – This enables you to live fully satisfied, focus on others, and not miss a beat of His amazing plan!

Whatever season you are in and whatever you are facing, you can live in the unshakeable reality that Jesus alone fully satisfies.

Jesus stands ready to satisfy you.  Will you come to Him?

Earnestly pursue knowing Jesus until you discover this life-altering reality of His total satisfaction – and don’t rest until you have tasted it in Him yourself!  Drink at the fountain of Jesus – the Living Water – whose goodness is unending and who satisfies the thirst of your soul.  He is calling, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)  Once you have begun to “taste and see” that He is good, you will long for more of Him and be increasingly satisfied in the One who “satisfies the longing soul.” 

As you look to Him to find all that you need, you can live every season of life satisfied in Jesus.