Come and be satisfied!

As you read my blog please don't get caught up in the date. These are mere markers of when I wrote that particular entry, but the content is timeless. By that I mean that the date does not make the message irrelevant anymore than picking up a devotional and reading from the "wrong" day makes that particular reading any less relevant and powerful.

Today it has been a year since my wife left me. A year ago I don't think I could have wrote what I wrote in this particular journal's entry. The Lord had to and still is stripping away all pride, ego, and idolatry in my life till I find my complete satisfaction in Him and Him alone.

August 22,2015

Worship:  Feed Me Till I Want No More(Bread Heaven) by Silvana Martins and Jeremy Lee Johnson; Guide Me Thou Great Jehovah by William Williams

'Til I want No More (Bread of Heaven)
written by Silvana Martins and Jeremy Lee Johnson

All who are hungry and weak
come and let the Lord supply.
He brings refreshment complete
only He can satisfy.

Lord, You gave Your body,
Lord, You gave Your blood.

Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more.
Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more,
'til I want no more.

Living Streams from above,
heal this dry and thirsty land.
Flowing Spirit of love,
make these dry bones live again.

"Take, this is My body,
drink, this is My blood".

Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more.
Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more,
'til I want no more

'Til I want no more, Jesus,
'til I want no more.

"Take, this is My body,
drink, this is My blood"

Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more.
Living water, pour down on me
quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, fall down on me
feed me 'til I want no more,
Living water, pour down on me
quench this thirsting of my soul.
'til I want no more.

'Til I want no more, Jesus, Oh Lord,
'till I want no more.

https://youtu.be/RcWMLZdS4rE

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,

Wondrous are Thy works of old;

Thou deliver'st Thine from thralldom,

Who for naught themselves had sold:

Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer,

Sin, and Satan and the grave,

Sin, and Satan and the grave.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell's destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee.

Musing on my habitation,

Musing on my heav'nly home,

Fills my soul with holy longings:

Come, my Jesus, quickly come;

Vanity is all I see;

Lord, I long to be with Thee!

Lord, I long to be with Thee!

(from Biblesoft Hymnal, PC Study Bible electronic database Copyright © 2003-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

https://youtu.be/zBaKdMAoFkE

Personal: Not feeling well today. Head and stomach giving me problems. Pride is also pursuing me constantly. Groping for Your presence Lord, I know You are here only let me feel your presence, fill me with Your Spirit now. Lord never let me think that I am strong. Perhaps what I am feeling now is a reminder that I must rely solely on the Lord. Perhaps He has removed some of His sustaining grace, perhaps this sickness that makes me feel bad is His way of drawing me back to Him and relying on Him alone for my strength and peace and hope!

Word:

Ps 22:25-23:1 5 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. ESV

Ps 22:25-23:1 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him — may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him — those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn — for he has done it. NIV

Tonight I will finish with verse 26 and move on. Just a simple observation is all I am going to make. First, let me begin with referring back to the songs of worship for today. The first song I worshipped with was a song I found on YouTube while searching for the second song. It has a line in it that is found also in the original version of the second song I worshipped with. Both songs have this line: “fill me ‘til (till) I want no more”. Later versions of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah change it to “fill now and forever more”. I must admit that when I first heard the words “’till I want no more” I wanted to change them too. After all how could I get to a point where I don’t want any more? Yet, I think there is truth in the original that isn’t found in the revision. A clue to this can be found in the first line of the song 'Til I want No More (Bread of Heaven):

All who are hungry and weak
come and let the Lord supply.
He brings refreshment complete
only He can satisfy.

The truth found in these words is this: only in Christ can we be fully satisfied.  To be filled to the point of wanting no more is to be fully satisfied in Him. Our text says’ “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied”(ESV).  Our Lord said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.” (NIV) So here we have a promise that those who come to Him and eat will find full and complete satisfaction. They will declare, as it were, “fill me ‘til I want no more”. That is my desire, my only longing. What about you? What are you hungering and thirsting after? What, or better, who are you seeking to satisfy your longings? Let me give you this invitation:

Isa 55:1-3, 7

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

NIV

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!