Homily 7: On God's Satisfaction (as preached by an orthodox rebel)

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee. My soul thirsts for Thee.... My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness." Ps. 63:1a, 5a

The human soul, being separated from God, is a restless creature. Furthermore, the human soul, being separated from God, is unaware of His satisfaction, for the god of this world has blinded their eyes (II Cor. 4:3-4). Thus, they can only come to two conclusions: either satisfaction is to be found here, either in this world or in themselves, and so they journey in vain; or there never was any satisfaction to begin with, making restlessness the norm, and so they wander for its own sake. Only the grace of God, preached by the gospel and received by faith, can break such spells.

"Come unto me..., and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). The rest that the world needs, the peace that will pass all of its understanding, is to have eyes to see, to no longer be blind to the absolute satisfaction that comes from and lies in God and God alone. It must be noted rather defiantly that Christ did not come to preach good manners; indeed, he did not come to preach at all. He came to give us rest: rest from Sin, rest from separation from God. Only the pain of Christ's passion produces peace and satisfaction for the soul. The satisfaction that this world gives is a cheat, while the restlessness that it rests in is a lie. Do not weary yourself believing that brokenness and dissatisfaction are the ultimate reality, the final say in the sad story of life. There's a wholeness waiting in the pierced palms of Immanuel, the wholeness of the infinite-personal God who is there. In Christ, we find our Beloved; in Christ, we are His and He is ours (Song 6:3).

-Jon Vowell (c) 2010