“I will be satisfied with the beauty of Your sanctuary”

 

 

 


[Psalm 65]

 

 

The book titled “Why People Don’t Know Satisfaction” (authors: Lori Ashner and Mitch Meyerson) is a psychological analysis for people who, even after achieving something, always feel some dissatisfaction and anxiety; for those who, even when something joyful happens, struggle with the obsessive belief that they are not happy. The authors, who have over ten years of experience in psychological counseling, call this condition “chronic dissatisfaction syndrome” and analyze seven psychological symptoms related to it, as well as discussing ways to heal it.

The authors point out that these dissatisfaction symptoms are actually more severe in people who have achieved what they want and have obtained what they desire, rather than in those who have experienced many failures. Observing people who feel depressed at moments when they should be happy, the authors emphasize that satisfaction is never about achievement or possession, but rather the greater problem is dissatisfaction that gradually accumulates and traps the individual.

People with chronic dissatisfaction syndrome reportedly have the following psychological traits (from the internet):

  • They do not feel joy even when they succeed. At moments when they should be happy, they worry whether they can repeat the success.

  • They think they are special and talented but then doubt even themselves.

  • They feel upset that others don’t recognize their efforts, but feel uncomfortable when they do receive praise.

  • They are satisfied more with helping others than taking the lead. They feel bitter when someone they thought less capable succeeds.

  • Mediocre success is not enough. Being ordinary is equivalent to failure.

  • They believe they must not depend on others. When problems arise in relationships, family, or work, they always blame themselves.

  • They constantly feel the need to prove themselves.

  • They unconsciously repeat situations where they feel frustration.

  • They dislike reaching out to others.

  • They are always trying hard.

Are you satisfied with your life? If you are not, how can you become satisfied? Would having more material wealth or income satisfy you? King Solomon, the Preacher, confesses in Ecclesiastes 5:10:
"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."

If you were to enjoy everything your eyes desire and everything your heart delights in, would you be satisfied? Solomon also confesses about this:
"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused no pleasure my heart wanted. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Who in this world has enjoyed everything like King Solomon did? Considering that even Solomon, who had it all, ended with the confession "meaningless, meaningless," we must also confess, like Solomon, that nothing in this world can satisfy our soul.

However, when we look at today’s Scripture, Psalm 65:4, the psalmist David confesses:
“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.”
Here, “the house of the Lord, that is, the temple of the Lord,” symbolizes the church, and the phrase “we are satisfied with the goodness” means being satisfied with the spiritual grace (Park Yoon Sun). Therefore, after deciding the title of today’s message as “Satisfied with the Beauty of the Lord’s Temple,” I want to receive three lessons about what kind of spiritual grace our church should be satisfied with.

First, we must be satisfied with God’s answers to our prayers (Psalm 65:1-4).

Look at Psalm 65:2:
“You who hear prayer, to you all people will come.”
From this, we understand that our Lord is the One who hears prayers. However, there are times when the Lord does not answer our prayers. In other words, there are three major obstacles to prayers being answered:

  1. Our sins.
    Look at Isaiah 59:1-2:
    “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

  2. We do not listen to God’s word, so God does not answer our prayers.
    Look at Proverbs 28:9:
    “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even their prayers are detestable.”

  3. Our pride.
    Look at James 4:6:
    “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’”
    When we are proud, God does not answer our prayers.

Then, what kind of prayers does our Lord listen to?

(1) Our Lord hears prayers of praise.
Look at Psalm 65:1 from today’s text:
“To you, O God, praises in Zion; to you shall vows be performed.”
As we learned in the June small group Bible study, “The Power of Prayer,” there are several types of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, confession, intercession, and supplication. Among these, a prayer of praise is the kind of prayer that begins by first recognizing and acknowledging the oneness of God. A good example I remember is Psalm 18:1-2:
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
The psalmist David waited silently (“waited”) before the Lord and praised God with eager anticipation (Park Yoon Sun). In particular, he desired to praise “our God of salvation” (verse 5).

(2) Our Lord hears our prayers of thanksgiving.
Look at Psalm 65:2:
“You who hear prayer, to you all flesh will come.”
The God of David, also our God, is a Lord who hears prayer. Therefore, we offer prayers of thanksgiving to God. Furthermore, as David said, “all flesh,” whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, all come to pray to God (Park Yoon Sun).

(3) The Lord hears prayers of confession (repentance).
Look at Psalm 65:3:
“Forgive our sins, for they overcome us.”
As we know well, the assurance of forgiveness is promised in 1 John 1:9:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The church is a house of prayer. We are people of prayer. Therefore, we must come before the Lord and make our petitions to God. We must offer prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and repentance to God. When we do so, we must be satisfied because God answers our prayers.

Secondly, we must be satisfied because He grants us victory in battle (Psalm 65:5-8).

Psalm 65:5-8 reflects David’s gratitude to God for the grace of granting victory in war, recalling how he was saved from Absalom’s rebellion (Park Yoon Sun). Amid Absalom’s persecution and rebellion, David fully relied on God. When he offered prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and repentance, God heard and answered those prayers. Specifically, God delivered David from Absalom and his followers. Therefore, David confessed:
“O God of our salvation, you who are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who by your power established the mountains, being girded with might” (verse 5).
Here, “by your power” refers to how God answered David’s prayer through “wondrous deeds, that is, supernatural acts,” affirming that God had saved David in the past and would save him again in the present (Park Yoon Sun). David prayed to the God of salvation, trusting that God would hear and respond. In that faith, David relied on and trusted in the Lord’s strength (verse 6). Though weakened and pursued by Absalom and his men, David trusted the Almighty God who sets up mountains and girds Himself with power. The Almighty God David relied on is the One who calms the roaring of the sea, the tumult of the waves, and the noise of the peoples (verse 7). Because David trusted in this God, he experienced joy, whereas fear came upon Absalom and his men who opposed God’s servant David (verse 8).

In 2 Samuel 8:6, it says, “… wherever David went, the LORD gave him victory.” The Lord enabled David to win every battle. Because of this, David trusted God and acted courageously (Psalm 60:12). With the God of victory with him, David faced his battles with the confidence of victory and, because the Lord granted him victory, he was satisfied and thankful. We too must, like David, fully rely on God and act courageously. Of course, ongoing spiritual warfare can cause our souls to suffer, be distressed, anxious, and discouraged. But like David in today’s passage, we must fully rely on the God of salvation in our spiritual battles, especially depending on the power of that saving God to fight this spiritual fight. In the midst of the battle, we must rely on the victorious Lord. Because He is with us, He will enable us to be victorious in our spiritual warfare. With the assurance of this victory, we must live a battle-ready life. And in the midst of this, we must enjoy the satisfaction of our souls brought by the victory the Lord grants. Furthermore, we must be satisfied because of the victorious Lord.

Lastly, thirdly, we must be satisfied because of the bountiful harvest (Psalm 65:9-13).

Look at Psalm 65:9: "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it."
God, who created the heavens and the earth, is a God who governs nature in order to provide grain abundantly to His people. He opens the windows of heaven and sends rain, soaking the earth with water, thereby enriching the land greatly so that it produces grain in abundance.
He waters the furrows abundantly, smoothing the ridges, softening the ground with showers, and blessing the sprouts (verse 10).
God blessed David with a bountiful harvest. This can also be evidence that God answered David’s prayers of repentance. In other words, God is the One who, when we sin and do not repent, allows us to become impoverished like the prodigal son so that we long for the abundance of God's house and turn back in repentance.
Eventually, when David was chased and fled because of the sin he committed in the royal palace, God led David to repent in the wilderness. After that, God led David back to the palace, thus making David prosperous again.

Even when we are impoverished like the prodigal son, we should be thankful because losing the material things we depended on gives us a chance to look back to God and rely on Him again. If we can thank God in poverty, how could we not be thankful for the abundance that God sends?
In Jesus Christ, we have received "every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1:4). We have been chosen by God the Father, predestined, and made His children. We have also received forgiveness of sins (redemption) and have become "a praise of His glory." All these are the spiritual blessings God the Father has given us in Christ. We have already received abundant grace from God. Therefore, we should live satisfied by His abundant grace.

We must learn the secret of contentment like the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:11-12). What is that secret? It is to be satisfied with only the Lord. Look at Philippians 4:11-13:
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
No matter how abundant our possessions are, if we cannot be satisfied with only the Lord, that abundance will be a curse to us. But if we can be satisfied with only the Lord even in poverty, that poverty will be a blessing to us.

 

 

 

I want to live satisfied with only the Lord,

 

 

Pastor James Kim shares
(In the spiritual grace of the Lord who answers prayers, who gives victory, and who bestows abundant grace.)