Trust, Savor, and Be Satisfied

  • Jun 9, 2008
  • Series: Articles

    In the midst of our busy lives and the expectations of our various roles, as women and men, we have lost the discipline and art of trusting the Savior. The more hectic our lives become, the less time that we have to spend with Christ, reading His Word and praying. The more distant we get from Jesus the more difficult our sin make it to trust Him. Our trusting becomes based on the circumstances of life instead of our undying knowledge that Christ remains our Savior everyday. Isaiah 12:2 reminds us, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." Circumstances should never control our peace in life and our drive toward the Savior. Usually, circumstances, although sometimes hard have the opportunity to draw us close to Christ. Christ calls us to turn to Him whatever the circumstances may be. He longs for us journey towards Him, not complete a list of dos and don’ts. Attending church and listening because that is what you “do” on Sundays is dangerous. This disease that we will label, “obligation”, has taken our culture by storm. “Obligation” longs to kill our faith and deny us joy. Those who suffer from “Obligation” are from all walks of life, the non-believer to the mature believer. When you fill the seats of our church do you listen and allow Christ’s words to impact your soul or do you merely hear the words with fleeting obligation? He desires us to savor our time with Him because we will forever find our ultimate joy in Him.

    Savoring our time with Christ means to give over oneself to the enjoyment of Him. The verse in Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good, Oh the joys of those who take refuge in Him,” comes to mind. When we savor our favorite dessert, we long for it, we taste each ingredient of every morsel, and when we are finished our appetite is satisfied. It is our greatest hope that we can long for, taste, and be satisfied in Christ the Savior as he body of Christ. Savoring seems like a flowery term that means only an expression of emotion. However, there is discipline in savoring. These disciplines include study, prayer, meditation, and service to name a few. How do we practice these disciplines when there is a lack of time or desire? What we spend actually our time on reflects our true desires. In the deepest parts of our souls, every person at some point struggles with a lack of desire. Is Christ far from you? No, He is in and through every experience. Do not allow your emotions to whisper to you that he has forsaken you. Never!  In Hebrews 13:5 the Lord says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Claim His promises today. Claim them in prayer to Him. Ask the Lord to change your desires for Him. He who promised is faithful and He will complete His work in you (Hebrews 10:23, James 1:4, Philippians 1:6)! Allow Christ who is perfect, to teach you how to savor Him.

    Our North Dallas culture, whether we are conscious of it or not, teaches us that satisfaction cannot be had. Being content seemingly is for the birds. The lie we consistently believe is that satisfaction in life was never intended for us. We see this played out in our inability to be content with what Christ has provided for us. We are always at the mercy of a new item on the market or a new promotion that is at hand. There is nothing wrong with success; the problem lies in our motivations. Christ calls us to be satisfied in Him alone. We were never meant to be satisfied by the adoration of someone’s complements, or in the progress of our child’s growth. When we rely on others for satisfaction, we begin to pull away from Christ because our pride, our accomplishments, our ability to have relationships is what defines us. The word “our” or “my” becomes a destructive ingredient in our everyday language and a slowly dampens our souls. True, undefiled satisfaction comes in the shedding of our sinful need to draw attention and glory to ourselves and when we begin to revel in the glory of the Lord. When our families and others are drawn to His glory and we love their satisfaction in Him is when we are the most satisfied in Him.  He must be the center! Meditate on these words today from Psalm 63:5, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”