Being satisfied is a good thing, right? Or is it? I believe God wants us to evaluate what our levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction are at this time. It's time to ask if we have settled into a status quo. Change can be useful. Sometimes we may be feeling like there must be more because there is more. We may get aggravated at social injustice, heartbroken at seeing the state of our city, or deeply passionate about something nobody else seems to care about. We are wondering why we are so bothered and can’t seem to settle. Looking at this topic, I am persuaded our dissatisfaction and our passion maybe revealing our God-given purpose.
Let us look at the Bible,
1 Samuel 1:5 - But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"
Hannah felt intensely dissatisfied with her situation; meanwhile, people told her to smile, get over it, accept her barrenness, or gave her other things to fulfill her needs. However deep within her, Hannah knew that fruitfulness was her portion! She knew God would answer her prayer, and that she would birth her child. She had a longing and a hope which was satisfied by the Lord when she birthed Samuel, the prophet. And what a child she birthed- Samuel changed his nation.
1 Chronicles 17:1-Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains."
David was dissatisfied with God's dwelling place being a tent, so David's thoughts turn to build a temple for the Lord. Sometimes a test of a person's spirituality is seen in what they do during their free time. David's heart was set on God. Even though it was not the Lord's plan for David to build this house for the Lord, the desire was fulfilled through Solomon, David's son. And wow, that temple was a masterpiece!
Before we go further, I must state, we need to discern if the dissatisfaction is the enemy's attack to unsettle us or even if our dissatisfaction is our own personal issues. We will not know which unless we seek the Lord, search the scriptures, and seek counsel like Hannah spoke to Eli or David spoke to Nathan. I believe God's will is revealed when we genuinely ask Him and reflect God's plan for us.
Hebrews 11:6- But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Great things can be birthed from our moments of dissatisfaction. History proves that. God may be speaking to you about your unused gift or deep passions. This may be the time to run your race. What are the things you do better than others? What are the things you care about? Your satisfaction and dissatisfaction, likes and dislikes, desires and dreams, all of these may be a road sign for your journey. Make a list and ask God to show you.
At each season, we need to feel a renewed sense of purpose. For that, we must stir up the gifts we have received and the inherent passions within us. Our God-given gifts are like seeds planted inside us, but we have to activate them for them to grow. If we ignore or avoid looking at the dissatisfaction, we may be missing out on what God called us for. And we may be missing out of our God-ordained joy and purpose.
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