In a world driven by insatiability, there is something to be honored in a man who is able to be satisfied. Restless toil and constant striving for more have become glorified attributes even among today’s outdoorsmen. The list of qualities we admire in our hunting heroes often contain words or phrases such as, relentless, ever curious, determined, and never satisfied.
As a hunter, the draw towards satisfaction can seem as an ever furthering horizon. We chase our biggest buck, next limit of ducks, and personal best largemouth bass. Aren’t we the ones who supposedly find our rest amidst the changing of the seasons? I fear we as hunters have led ourselves to believe that joy and satisfaction are always over the next ridge. For some that might seem nobly poetic, but have we missed the satisfaction of the present to gamble on what might lie ahead?
Have unsatisfied longings become the purpose of our outdoor pursuits? Have we lost the peace of one ridge to constantly climb the next? At what point will we be satisfied? Has insatiability become our never ending motivation? I suppose that question could be asked of all, not just the outdoorsman.
I want to be a satisfied hunter, able to be at peace with whatever each day may bring. I want to be a satisfied man, able to find rest and delight. I want to be a satisfied Christian, able to praise and worship the God who is worthy of it all. I want Christ to be my satisfaction. I want to be content in his name. I want him to be enough.
Peaceful satisfaction seems to be a lost experience among so many today, but it ought not to be so. Scripture gives so much hope for what the satisfied soul should expect. It also reminds us that finding meaningful satisfaction is possible and readily available for those who seek it out in its hidden places.
Jeremiah 31:25
“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”
Psalm 90:14
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
Psalm 107:9
“For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”
Scripture also gives warning against seeking satisfaction in that which cannot give nor sustain life. Isaiah outlines this point further.
Isaiah 55:2
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.”
As I write on this Christmas morning, my hope is that my soul and yours will find lasting satisfaction in this new season. The satisfied soul is the one that finds its ultimate peace and purpose in the man, Jesus Christ. It is because of him that in all aspects of my hunting, my working, my writing, and my living, I am able to sit in everlasting peace.
Being satisfied in Christ does not mean that I am no longer hungry, rather it means I have an intensified hunger that only he can fill. It was Christ that said man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Christ also said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).” Again he affirms that he is able to satisfy our hearts when he speaks through the prophet Isaiah, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3).”
I find greater delight and peace in my hunting because I find my true satisfaction elsewhere. I am content to hunt the same ridge. I am happy to shoot the deer that walk down it, unbothered by the deer on the opposite side of the hollow. I do not feel any pressure to appease the hunting culture around me by presenting myself as an insatiable hunter, nor do I feel the need to best myself each season. I am content in all manner of my hunting endeavors because he stills and satisfies my soul. The peace he brings bleeds over into every other aspect of my being when my mind is stayed on him.
What are you hungry for this season? What does your soul long for? Where are you looking for satisfaction? More importantly, have you found it yet?
Christ offers more than the next ridge and he gives peace that goes beyond understanding. So, as the end of hunting season draws near and a new season begins, seek satisfaction in Christ. If you feel hungry, a sense of urgency, a need for stability I pray you look long in the face of Christ in scripture.
This Christmas season we celebrate the God of all creation coming down to live with his creation. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31-32). He came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He came to die on a cross (Hebrews 12:2) and in doing so he satisfied the wrath of God and proved to be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in his name (Romans 3:21-26).
If Christ was sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God, then he is sufficient to satisfy your soul. The Father has joy in the Son and the Son has joy in the Father. Together they have joy to satisfy those who have faith in Jesus. Don’t settle for lesser joy or lesser peace. Apart from Christ it will prove to be no peace at all.
May the love of Christ satisfy your soul this Christmas morning and give you peace in his name!
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