Too Much To Handle

“And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.” (Jer 31:14 AV)

What a promise.  The God of correction is also the God of restoration and blessing.  Not just restoration.  Beyond that.  The context here is the restoration of Israel after all the correction is done from Babylon to the AntiChrist.  The LORD promises to restore Israel beyond the covenants promised to their forefathers.  The word ‘satiate’ is perfect to describe how the LORD treats those whom He loves.  I have a hydrangea bush in the front yard.  I used some stone pavers to make a little planter for it.  The name of the bush indicates how much water it needs.  So, I go out there every day and dump gallons of water onto the planter.  It takes about three gallons before it cannot take any more water.  Then the water leaks over the lip and begins to erode some of the soil.  It is satiate when it can hold no more water.  When God restores, He does so to the point we cannot stand it any longer.  His forgiveness and mercy are great.  His kindness is unfathomable.  God will satiate the soul of those who are penitent.  He will rain showers of blessings on those who are humble and contrite.  He will give so much we cannot contain any more blessings.

Isn’t the above verse incredible?  I mean, really!  Why would God do that for us?  We fall so short of His expectations.  We do not come even close to what He deserves.  Our troubles seem so drastic we don’t think we can ever recover.  Yet, He satiates the soul!  We run on empty all the time.  Whether from our own choices or from the trials He asks us to endure.  We are empty.  But He satiates the soul!  No matter how drawn out we might be, there is nothing too big God cannot heal.  There is no depth from which we cannot recover.  There is no trouble so deep we cannot come back from it. God is able to do above all that we ask or think.

I was reading this passage this morning and the whole chapter is about how God will restore disobedient Israel to a degree they cannot understand.  They will be returned beyond their former glory because Messiah will reign.  What a day that will be.  The psalmist speaks of this day as greater than a dream.  He tells us when the people return from their captivity, it will be so great they will not believe it to be real.  I wonder if that is what glory will be like.  I imagine going into surgery, going under anesthesia, and the LORD calling me home.  I don’t think at first it will dawn on me where I am.  We are so temporal-minded, the sight of glory may startle us the first time we see it.  This is what it means to have the soul satiated.  Beyond our comprehension.  This is how good God is.