A dog lopes by our house every morning, 7:30 am, up to a park where she plays fetch with her owner. Even in bitter cold the routine holds. The dog loves two things, eating and chasing balls (or rabbits). A romp outside, followed by breakfast, satisfies both.

That dog’s got a good life. Her desires are satisfied day after day, fulfilled by her faithful owner. But ultimately we can trace satisfaction of desire back to the Lord. David wrote these lines:

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

God’s mercy extends over all he has made. He satisfies the desire of each and every creature, including the dog down the street. Who cares about a dog’s desires? Along with her owner, apparently the Lord does as well.

Every good thing that dog experiences comes from the hand of God. Every bit of food and frolic the myriad of dogs in my neighborhood enjoy descends from their gracious Creator. I suppose this truth holds even for cats.

I have far more complex desires than my neighbor’s dog. Yet the Lord satisfies mine as well. Part of that satisfaction involves granting some (I enjoy a meal when I’m hungry). But another part of the process necessitates my wrestling with desires, struggling to either wait on their fulfillment, or yielding to the wisdom of holding them back.

Either way, ultimate satisfaction is found not in gratifying my appetites, but in the One who fulfills the desire of my soul. Every good thing I have comes from the hand of our gracious and merciful God. With that in mind, it’s easier to find satisfaction, which might be as simple as a romp in the park followed by breakfast.

Psalm 145:8,9&16

Photo by Kameron Kincade