my soul will...

By Yodit Kifle Smith

For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things (Psalm 107:9)
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As I get ready to celebrate another year of life tomorrow, I can’t help but reflect on the faithfulness of God throughout this past year even when I wasn’t always faithful. It’s humbling to know that as God’s children, we are kept by Him. Even when our thoughts and emotions lead us astray into our own understanding, God’s grace draws us back to a place of repentance, lavishing us with His mercy anew.

However, the question I continue to ask myself each year I reflect is this:

What continues to satisfy my soul? 

There is so much that vies for my soul. Dishing out promises of satisfaction, only to leave me realizing that it’s God, verily God who can satisfy. I know this truth with my mind and I read and sing about it, yet, I see how my heart is prone to want my soul satisfied through things that aren’t meant to: affirmation from those I know, accomplishments, possessions I own, or even social media. All of these only leaving me more unfulfilled and discontent.

Can you imagine trying to hold water with a pot filled with holes at the bottom? It’s foolish right? This is the image that Scripture gives in Jeremiah 2:13, when showing how God’s people forsook Him, the LIVING FOUNTAIN, because they were digging for themselves broken cisterns, unable to carry any water. They were seeking to be satisfied by other things that could not even compare to the Living Water.

While I am not saying I have forsaken God, I am saying that my life should be in constant reflection, asking the Lord to show me the areas where I have not been fully satisfied in Him and Him alone. I need His help to see the foolishness of it. To repent. And to help me drink from HIS Living fountain.

As I read Psalm 63, I see three dispositions of David’s desperate plea for his soul to be satisfied by God alone that I have been encouraged by and seek to make my plea:

My Soul thirst for You (Psalm 63:1)

Our soul was created to thirst. And some of the things that we seek aren’t bad in and of themselves, but they aren’t mean to provide ultimate fulfillment. My prayer is that my heart’s disposition will always thirst for God. His Word and His ways. He’s the only One who can fulfill what He created.

My Soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food (Psalm 63:5)

Our soul was created to be satisfied. However, as mentioned, it can be easily disillusioned to be satisfied with things that doesn’t fulfill the soul the way it’s created to be. My prayer is that my hearts disposition will truly believe that my soul will always find deep fulfilling satisfaction when I seek God. He will satisfy me. He will be my all in all. The promises of this world are false. They don't deliver and nor will they ever. Jesus told the woman at the well that all those who drink from the living water that He gives will never thirst again (John 4:13-15).

My Soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:8)

Our soul is prone to wander. Because of sin, it's prone to forget even when we’ve tasted God’s fulfillment in our lives. So, we must desperately cling to Him. We must recognize that our clinging to Him reveals our heart’s desire for Him. And the incredible truth about God’s love is that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38) because He is the one upholding us. How comforting and assuring is that? So, while we are clinging to Him, it’s really His right hand that upholds us and helps us cling. We are secure in Him.

Sisters, I pray our souls will be found deeply content in the One who created it. As John Piper said,
“God is most glorified when our souls are most satisfied in Him.”
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Jeremiah 2:13
Psalm 63 (read all of chapter)
Psalm 107:9
John 4:13-15


Questions to Reflect on:

1. What does your soul thirst for? Take an honest inventory of you heart.
2. Have you been trying to carry water with broken jars?
3. How are you seeking for God to satisfy you?