The Real Reason We Are Unsatisfied With Life

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

God gives His children an extraordinary promise from this Psalm. Are you experiencing the greatest desires of your heart or do you find yourself unsatisfied? Which of these two realities best describes your situation?

1. At the end of each day, you feel you haven’t accomplished enough. You’re unsatisfied with what you have or who you are. Your relationships feel lacking. Your sleep is restless—not from a health issue, but from pressure and a racing mind. You are anxious about the future. You try to keep yourself distracted with activity or entertainment just to find relief.

OR

2.  At the end of each day, you feel at peace—even amidst difficult trials. You rest well. Your heart is full, even if you’re alone, because you know you are never truly alone. You live in the quiet assurance of God’s presence.

Most of us live somewhere between these two descriptions. We long for peace, yet our desires are often disrupted by the brokenness of this fallen world. Evil, hardship, and chaos can make God’s promises feel out of reach. So—can trouble really prevent God from giving us “the desires of our heart?”

The answer is emphatically “NO.” But in order to live in His promise, our greatest delight must truly be in Him.

So, self-assess and consider what you believe will produce your greatest delight.

What is that one thing…if you had it…would also give you deep and lasting satisfaction? Is it having a grandbaby? Experiencing a new relationship? Moving into your dream home? Taking that epic vacation? Landing the perfect job? Having a different community?

My friend, we must allow the truth to stop us in our tracks! These joys are real—but they are also temporary and leave us feeling unsatisfied. Yet—they do us a great service, because they point us toward the only lasting Source of satisfaction. If earthly pleasures can bring moments of such sweetness, how much greater is the delight found in the God who created them?

Ah…we must learn to make God, the Giver of all delight, our greatest object of desire!

God is the Creator of all good things, but He Himself is the ultimate delight. We were made to delight in Him—not merely His gifts. And you cannot delight in someone you do not know. We have discussed that there are three levels of knowing God. Knowing God is far more than knowing about Him. It’s walking with Him, talking with Him, listening to His Word, and surrendering daily to His will. When we give Him 100% of ourselves—time, trust, and obedience—our desires are transformed. Our desires become aligned with His divine plan for our lives. 

When that happens, God’s promises live in our home. He gives us the greatest desires of our heart, because our heart’s desires are purified by His presence. Jesus told the woman at the well:

“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13–14

The satisfaction He offers is not momentary—it’s eternal. Only our Creator can quench our deepest longings. And when we drink deeply from Him every day, He gives abundantly—far above all we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Reflection Thought:

Am I seeking my deepest satisfaction in God Himself—or in what I hope He will give me? How would my desires change if I delighted in Him first?

Prayer:

Father, You are the Giver of every good gift, and yet I often chase the gift more than the Giver. Forgive me for seeking satisfaction in things that cannot last. Teach me to delight in You above all else. Purify my desires so they align with Your will, and fill me with the living water that Jesus promised. Let my joy and peace overflow, not because life is perfect, but because I am held by You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.