Question 1

Why do so many people seem so unhappy?

Accepted Answer

Ecclesiastes 1:8No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.Ecclesiastes 3:9-15What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.When we mistake happiness as a destination or permanent state rather than an occasional experience during life in our broken world, we are bound to become deeply dissatisfied. This side of eternity, happiness can be pursued but never finally possessed, experienced in passing but not permanently. It is best for us to simply be deeply grateful for the happiness God does graciously provide along the way.John 4:14“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”Long distance runners experience two distinct levels of thirst. The first is a conscious need to stay hydrated, which is not always accompanied by the feeling of thirst. They know they must keep drinking even when they don’t yet feel like they need to drink. But if they wait until they have become dehydrated, even drinking liquids will not help them enough to allow them to continue to run. The internal well of living water Jesus offers is a constant supply of spiritual hydration we dare not ignore or go without.Psalm 63:1, 5O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. . . . You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.Isaiah 55:2Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.Too many people try to meet their deepest needs in ways that just don’t satisfy. Sometimes when you’re hungry, the worst thing you can do is eat the wrong thing. For example, if you haven’t eaten in a while and you quickly gobble down three donuts, you’ll be satisfied for only a few minutes until you start to shake from the sugar rush. The same principle applies to satisfying the hungry soul. Fill it with only fun and pleasure and sin and you’ll always be craving more and never getting enough. Your soul will get the “shakes.” Without taking nourishment from God’s spiritual food you will never feel satisfied and always wonder what is wrong with your life.

Question 2

Does God promise to satisfy all my needs?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 30:8Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.Philippians 4:11-13I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.God’s continuous task for us is to re-define our needs. There is a vast difference between our needs and our wants. We must not confuse the two. Learning contentment is crucial. Nothing and no one can satisfy as God can. All substitutes will disappoint.Psalm 17:15When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.Our spiritual needs find satisfaction through intimacy with God. Since he created us for this purpose, the only way we will be satisfied is to pursue a relationship with him.Matthew 5:3“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”Jesus promised that hearts hungry for righteousness will be satisfied. We must turn our hungry hearts toward the right kinds of food. Only then can we hope to be truly satisfied.

Question 3

Are there any dangers in being satisfied?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 5:7“How can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. . . . I fed my people until they were full. But they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the brothels.”A sinful heart may take advantage of God’s goodness, using his benefits and resources to pursue sinful and selfish desires.2 Samuel 11:1-4In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. . . . However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. . . . Then she returned home.Satisfaction tends to lead to complacency, which leaves us vulnerable to temptation and to sin.Ezekiel 7:19They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash. Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the Lord’s anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up.Hosea 13:6When you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me.Although affluence can be a blessing, it can also be dangerous, leading us into the sins of pride and greed.

Question 4

What kind of satisfaction within us pleases God?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 63:5You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.John 6:26-29Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”Acts 20:33-35“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”Galatians 6:1-5Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.Hebrews 13:5Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”God delights when we are satisfied in him and with him, whatever our circumstances may be.