When I sit down to write these weekly meditations, I read the collect for the day and all four lessons that have been appointed in the lectionary. Then I read each lesson slowly, noticing what word or phrase grabs my attention. Sometimes it takes several prayerful readings for me to recognize the word God has for me at this time. At that point, I sit with the word and wait to see what comes, where the word leads me. Often it is not how the author used the word at all. Such is the case with “satisfy”.

The psalmist for today is extolling the wonderful ways God blesses us throughout our lives, protecting us, delivering us, healing us, and ends by saying the Holy One will “satisfy” us with long life. Read the psalm again and see how much we have to be grateful for in our lives here and now, paying attention to where you have experienced the Beloved acting in your life in each of those ways that the psalmist details. I suspect you will be thrilled to have your eyes opened to God’s faithfulness.

But I hear a challenge to see “satisfy” as a two-way street, to look for how we might satisfy God’s deepest longing for us, each and all. I’m not suggesting any kind of requirement, of course, but something more like a treasured gift, some offering that will delight the Beloved’s heart. The first thing that comes to my mind is love, self-giving love, thinking of others’ needs with compassion, without discrimination. Then using the gifts God has given me to bless others along the way would surely put a smile on the divine countenance. I suspect that accepting my weaknesses and vulnerabilities while trusting God to make me whole and holy would bring joy to the Holy One. No doubt, taking time day by day to sit, rest in the Presence of the Holy One, opening my heart to God’s transforming work deep within would be a boon to the Beloved. Take some time to reflect on how you might meet this challenge to sate God’s appetite for an intimate relationship with you.