“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Ps 90:14)
During the season of Lent, Hope is participating together in reading through Psalm 90 and exploring the themes that rise out of this psalm – namely, the faithfulness of God, the gospel (sin and redemption), the power of God and the expanse of God’s work through us. In the midst of this season, I want to use this space to share some thoughts and insights that God gives me as I take the journey.
Last night, our family read Psalm 90 together. As we did, the verse above quickly rose to the front of our imagination. And why wouldn’t it? Who doesn’t want what is written there – satisfaction, love, and joy. But there is a distinct way in which these become realities.
Have you ever felt satisfaction? Maybe after a great meal or when you got a test back with a stellar grade. Perhaps when you saw your child succeed in life or action. Was it a promotion at work? Or even a meaningful compliment or affirmation from a friend? The universal thread of satisfaction is feeling full or without need, at least in that moment.
But what if satisfaction wa
s not fleeting? What if it had staying power? What if it could actually be a defining characteristic of your life? Who wouldn’t go for that! In this psalm, Moses gives us some important insight. First, joy comes from satisfaction. Have you ever wondered why joy is so hard to keep around? The answer lies with satisfaction. When we are satisfied, there is joy. When we are looking for something else, expressing want, then joy recedes. And if joy is the outcome of satisfaction, then how much more important is the source? Satisfaction, at least in its fullest sense, comes from the unfailing love of God. A good meal satisfies for several hours, but inevitably we’re hungry again. A promotion satisfies for a season until the circumstances of life bog us down. A child’s one step forward satisfies until the one step back. But, the unfailing love of God, when we live in its reality, is an eternal satisfier. Remember the words of Jesus – you will drink this water and never thirst again.
When we read this psalm in its entirety, we begin to see a grand picture of God’s unfailing love. And, Moses is giving us a means by which we can live into the reality of it. We could summarize it this way – when we remember the past expressions of God’s faithfulness and love, we are better equipped to stand in faith for the future. When we embrace the many examples of God’s faithful love, then we are disposed to look for his faithfulness and love in the present. And when we look for it, we always find it. Paul said it this way, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Are you satisfied? How has life been lately? In the good moments and the moments of utter dismay, satisfaction is possible because of God’s unfailing love for us. It doesn’t mean that everything happens our preferred way. But it does allow us to step out in faith, knowing that God’s mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!