CREATIVE SATISFACTION
My mother-in-law, Marie Odens, recently celebrated her 101st birthday. That certainly qualifies as a long life, since less than one percent of the population of the United States lives to the age of 100.
God promises in Psalm 91:16 that He will satisfy with “long life” those who love Him. It is easy to focus on the length of days and see that as the blessing God has promised. But Willem VanGemeren in “The Expositor’s Bible Commentary” turns our view in another direction. “The Lord assures that his own will enjoy themselves as his children in this life.” From his viewpoint the emphasis is not as much on the number of years as it is on the satisfaction we get from knowing God through those years.
The truth is that some live what we would consider a long life and yet find no satisfaction in God. At the same time, some die at a young age and still have lived in God’s love and found satisfaction in Him.
“Oma,” as her family calls her, has lived in our home for the past four years. It has been evident that in long life she has found her satisfaction in God. Prayer and Bible reading have been consistent practices. Rejoicing in the spiritual welfare of her more than 135 descendants has been her greatest pleasure.
While it is true that longevity itself has been a blessing, the even greater joy has come from the satisfaction she has found in God through all of those days. More than 99% of us will never live to the age she has reached, but 100% of us can find creative satisfaction in God during the years He gives to us.
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