Satisfaction Guaranteed

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Clara (5) had her annual check-up this week. To ensure that she is tracking with her peers, the nurse asked me a battery of developmental questions which concluded with, "Can she prepare a bowl of cereal...that is if you'd let her?" I attempted to hide my smile at her inquiry. Clara, driven by a strong thirst for independence, has already mastered many kitchen functions. She started pouring bowls of cereals several birthdays back.

Although she doesn't recognize every number 1-9, she knows which buttons on the microwave to push to produce popcorn. She categorizes Crystal Light lemonade as a delicacy and ensures we never run out by mixing it up at regular intervals. She is convinced that every snowy day must encompass hot cocoa and will cook up a batch for all partakers. She even cooked an entire dinner for me when I turned forty and that was a month before she turned five. Clearly I allow her to prepare far more than a simple bowl of cereal. Her thirst for autonomy is sated at least in part by mastering various kitchen duties.

This morning's reading is Revelation 7. This chapter highlights 144,000 from Israel and a multitude too vast to number from the other nations on earth who worship Jesus. Theologians have conflicting interpretations of precisely whom this "vast number" includes. Some even argue this group wouldn't include the likes of me. What I do know is that there will come a day when I stand before the King of kings and have the opportunity to worship Jesus face to face. When I do, Jesus Himself will lead me to springs of living water (Verse 17).

The more independence Clara achieves, the greater her proclivity is to be self-sufficient. Jesus is like that. The more of Him that I come to know and experience, the more of Him I want to know. Unlike an endless buffet of culinary wonders to I can return few times before reaching my limit, my appetite for Jesus only grows the more I eat from His table.

However, I must confess I haven't always sought to fulfill my desires from the bounty of God. Two thousand years ago, Jesus happened upon a woman who like me didn't know that He was the living water for which she thirsted. In John 4, Jesus interacts with the woman we now call the "woman at the well". She is living a flagrantly immoral lifestyle in an attempt to fill the longings of her heart. Jesus offers her a drink of water that will satisfy her in a way no man ever could. He invites her to drink from the well of His love and compassion (John 4:14). Someday I will stand shoulder to shoulder with this unnamed woman as we together worship Jesus. Truly He is our living water.

Jesus, You are more refreshing than the coldest bottle of water. You are more satisfying than the savoriest of meals. You satisfy the longings of my heart. Every day that I spend with You, I end up wanting more of You. You are satisfaction guaranteed.