satisfied

Thursday Talk Story for May 21, 2009 #14 Satisfied

Psalm 65:4b “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.”

What if we could be satisfied? Our economy is based on dissatisfaction. Consumer spending drives our economy. Dissatisfaction drives us to shop and buy. We always want more. So we buy new homes, new cars, new clothes, new toys when the old ones are probably still good. Our children want the latest gadgets as soon as they come out. They’ve learned dissatisfaction well. Our culture teaches it nonstop with constant commercials.

The economy hums when we buy. It slumps when we stop. If we become satisfied with what we have and stop wanting “new and more” will we have more slowdown and recession? Will we die of boredom…be unpatriotic? Would our well-being be at risk?

How different it is in God’s economy. The poet is satisfied and happy just to remember the goodness of being in God’s temple sanctuary. Thinking of worship there is enough to satisfy him. God answers prayer so he’s content, fulfilled, and happy to think of God’s goodness. He finds God’s power in the creation and rejoices in God’s providential care. He sees God’s love and grace in the spring rain, summer crops, and fall harvest. He recognizes God’s power behind the mountains and ocean waves. He thinks of God’s peacemaking power when uprising peoples fall silent.

Amid the ebb and flow of life’s currents and storms the poet sees that worshipping God is the way to be satisfied and content in life. It’s almost as if he is counseling us, “Remember God, worship God, and you will be satisfied and happy and blessed.”

“Thank you God for satisfying us spiritually in worship. Help us find our way to your sanctuary and learn contentment there.”