Question of the Week - What Will Make You Happy?

Psalm 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. What Will Make You Happy? What would make you happy today? What would it take to satisfy you? Most times we have some idea of what we want, and we are intent on getting it. Sometimes, we think we want money, time, rest, friends, or something else, and the truth is, that it is a trap. We don't need something; we need Someone because God Himself is what we most need. He is the source of satisfaction, and our satisfaction in life will never be greater than the source from which we derive it. Psalm 81 is a hymn of praise celebrating the exodus of God's people from Egypt. Verse 10 famously says, "I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." So God says, "I am, I did, I will." But the saddest words of the psalm are in verse 11, "But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me." Verse 14 says, "I should soon have..." Then God goes on to say what He would have done. The flow of thought here is that God is saying, "I am, I did, I will, I would have. But My people did not want Me." Verses 12-13 say, "So I gave them up unto to their own hearts' lusts: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!" God is saying, "I would have." Israel missed out because they thought that satisfaction was found in a thing and not a Person, in possessions and not in the Giver of those possessions, in the gifts and not the Giver." Verse 16 says, "He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee." These people thought they would be satisfied if they had what they wanted. But, they got what they wanted and were not happy. If you get what you think will satisfy you, you may well be empty. If you have God and God has you, then you will have both God and the satisfaction that He alone can bring. We don't need what God gives us so much as we just need God Himself. God is the great Giver, but God's gifts are never greater than God Himself. Prayer Requests: -Meetings this week in Clearwater, KS and Kodiak, AK  Enjoy more devotionals, sermon audio, and articles on our website!