Satisfy

2023 was a tough year. As I scrolled through pictures and reflect on all that's taken place, this 12-month span feels like several lifetimes rolled into one. I just couldn't believe that certain events even occurred last year because it felt like ages in between. The life I was living last January is no where close to the life I live right now. Every turn, every event in 2023 presented an opportunity for surrender. I guess I should have realized tumultuous waters were ahead when God dropped that word in my heart. Some surrenders felt easy. I was eager to let go, never look back, and embrace the huge relief that washed over me. Others I still grapple with, cry over, and pour out my heart to the Father, as though one more surrender might just break me.

What I learned about surrender is that it's an integral factor of sanctification (the process God uses to make and declare us holy). God's timeline is not our own, so surrendering to His "no" and "not yet" is equally as important as surrendering to His "yes". He uses all circumstances to purify and refine us into His image. It can be a downright messy and painful process, but when we turn to Christ and cling to His promises in the midst of our hardships, we discover how reliable He truly is.

Out of the trenches of surrender, God dropped a new theme in my heart for 2024: satisfy.

"The LORD will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry." Isaiah 58:11 (CSB)

A couple weeks ago I sat down to do some verse mapping to really understand what God was telling me through this passage in Isaiah, and in particular what it means for God to "satisfy you in a parched land".

śāḇaʿ[satisfy] (verb) to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.

sate means to "satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full". More specifically, it means to "supply (someone) with as much as or more of something than is desired or can be managed".
surfeit means "an excess amount of something".

This got my attention. God won't simply meet our needs, but provides a surplus and overabundance to this provision. Let's dig deeper! In Isaiah 58, God exposes the people's shallow religious rituals. They put on a good show, but God is not impressed by their pious, self-centered, and oppressive acts. "Stop doing evil and start walking in righteousness," God tells them. If they turn back to Him, not only will their light shine in the darkness, but their night will literally shine like noon (verse 10). What an incredible thought!

Now we land in verse 11, where the Lord declares that He will do three things for the one who turns from evil and walks in righteousness:

Always "lead you". God does not leave us directionless. When we walk in His righteousness, He promises to guide our every step toward restoration (Isaiah 57:18).
Always "satisfy you in a parched land".
1. The Hebrew word for "parched land" only occurs this one time in the Bible. It means a scorched region, an arid place that is too dry or barren to support vegetation. In essence, this is the place we exist when we choose a path other than righteousness. What appears to be impossible is not an obstacle for God.
2. The ESV translation says "satisfy your desire in scorched places". The Hebrew word nep̄eš which is translated "your desire" means soul or inner being, the activity of mind, will, and character. Our Creator, who intimately understands what our body, soul, and mind needs to rest satisfied, promises to give an overabundance of what is necessary for that to happen.
Always "strengthen your bones". Yes, God promises to make us strong, but the root word here means "to equip", "to be equipped", "brace up", and "to be armed". His strength is not just for the here and now, but for what will be experience in the future.

How do these promises impact us personally?

In the second part of this verse, the Lord introduces us to second place, "a watered garden". But this is not just any garden. In Hebrew gan means an enclosed garden, protected and fully irrigated with a personal source of spring water, much like the Garden of Eden. God promises to transform us into this beautiful place, fully protected in order to experience the fullness of life in Christ. There are no disappointments or an end to the abundance that exists in this garden. God will both satisfy the soul, and transform us into His own spring source - a beacon of hope for the world.

Perhaps you hear doubt whispering right now ...

Can God truly satisfy my desires when I feel displaced? When I'm wandering through the wilderness and my expectations go unmet?

I am certainly not immune to these thoughts or doubts, but God keeps reminding me of what the Apostle Paul said of Abraham ...

”He [Abraham] did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do. Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness. Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.“ Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬-‭24‬ ‭(CSB)‬‬

Every doubt presents an opportunity to either falter in our faith or allow God to equip us with courage and resolve. Abraham had doubts just as we do, but instead he gave glory to God and relied solely on God's faithful character to guide him through those doubts. Even though I have no idea how God will satisfy the desires of my soul in 2024, with every amount of faith I can muster, I will not allow any doubt to shake my confidence in Christ. What He says will be and I eagerly await that day!

Lord Jesus, You saw how weary 2023 left me, how exhausted I still feel. You see my struggle, and You promised a new chapter. I choose to worship You in the waiting. I choose to believe You will strengthen my every weakness. I choose to focus on Your unchanging character instead of my circumstances. I choose to believe that You will transform my wasteland into an oasis. You alone have the power to satisfy the depths of my inner soul, so I wait with great anticipating for You. Teach me how to walk in righteousness and trust Your timing. In Jesus' name, Amen!

2023 Bible Studies, Podcasts & Reads

I dove into the Old Testament like never before this year. My hunger for a complete and holistic picture of the gospel set the precedence for all my deep dives - how exactly did Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets? The deeper I go down the rabbit holes of the Old Testament, the sweeter God's Word becomes. It is truly beautiful to see God so intricately fulfill the law and prophets through Jesus. Not one detail was missed. I am more humbled by the magnitude of God's love for us and how there simply are no coincidences or loopholes regarding His grand plan for our salvation and humanity. Here's my list of encouraging studies, reads & listens from last year: