The Satisfaction of the Soul

Somewhere in the places where sighs give way to hope and promises sing to aching hearts, your soul waits for something different.  More than the pleasure of a passing moment or those 15 minutes of look-at-me, you were created with a craving soul.  “He has planted eternity in the human heart,” Solomon said, “but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

One day – sooner rather than later – that craving will be satisfied.  And not by what the pavement is made of or what the real estate market is like past the pearly gates.  Not by something that resembles Sunday morning at the church house, Monday noon at the White House, or Friday night at the penthouse.  Craving souls are smarter and deeper than that.

One day – nearer rather than farther – tired hearts, stale relationships and flyblown religion will give way to a new dawn.   And at long last your soul will taste satisfaction.  Ashes will give way to beauty.  You’ll trade your mourning in for the oil of joy.  You’ll wear a garment of praise – complete with dancing shoes – instead of a spirit of heaviness.  In the satisfaction of the soul…

…nearness replaces that sense of distance as you realize that His is a love that pursues you with abandon.  Joined with the One who wouldn’t accept wandering, rebellion, betrayal or rejection as the last word, your soul – created to be pursued – will discover what it feels like to be truly sought out and found.

…veils of isolation give way to true intimacy and understanding.  All the sin-built barriers and self-blinding filters will be removed and you will know as you are known.  So often filled with cheap substitutes, your soul’s longing for deep connection will find its rest in the arms of the One who has searched you and known you from before you were born.

…expectancy is rewarded with joyful fulfillment.  There is a reason you anticipate; your soul was created for it.  Not just to believe in a code or a creed, but to expect.  To envision with your heart.  To imagine with your will.  And when your soul’s anticipation is realized, you will see with your eyes what you have known in your heart for so long.

…righteousness is as natural as the air you breathe.  The willpower that repeatedly disappoints you and the guilt that accuses you will be gone forever.  No longer shackled by instructions no flesh can keep, you will discover that you have been robed – graced – with an identity that makes the ultimate fashion statement.  You, who were unrighteous, have been made righteous by His blood.

…your true home awaits.  Your soul was crafted with a sense of place – with a heart toward home.  And this pilgrimage among strangers called life has only made you that much more homesick.  As expressions of love while you waited, your Bridegroom has sent little tokens to remind you that He’s preparing a place for you.  And when He calls your name, your soul will find its delight in knowing that where He is, there you will be also.

… scars of sin are only found on the hands of the One who carried them to a place of forgetfulness.   What grace has made real since you first trusted Him will finally be made visible.  Your guilt is gone, and the soul that was not designed to carry it in the first place is finally free.  Your satisfied soul’s only confession will be adoration for your eternal Redeemer.

… open and shameless transparency defines your relationships.  Self-protection and secrecy will be forgotten as you discover your place in His heart.  Rejection and ridicule will be lost forever as your soul finds it safety in His unconditional love.  You will live fearlessly in the light of His gaze, knowing that He has made all things – including you – beautiful in His time.

…old hearts are transformed into His image.  You will be like Him when you see Him as He is.  No longer chasing after an image seen in a dimly-lit mirror, you soul will be transformed by a face-to-face encounter.  You won’t have to wonder what He would do or wish He would just do it.  Separated from all distractions, your soul will powerfully, purely reflect His likeness.

Never again will you hide from your past or be shackled by shame.  Never again will you wish away for a change that never happens.  Never again will you feel homeless or isolated from real community.  Never again will you hear the word “someday” – or utter the word “lonely.”  Never again will you wonder if there is someone who could love you without cause or ceasing.  Never again will you be told that the answer has something to do with waiting.  And the beauty of it all is knowing that everything your soul longs for has already been given to you in seed form – as a down payment of His promise.  And today, you can set your love upon Him as practice…for the satisfaction of the soul.

Tagged as: Eternal life, Eternity, Expectancy, Grace, Heaven, Identity, Intimacy, Shame, Transparency, Worship