In 1965 the Rolling Stones released “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a Number One hit that is now ranked at the top of at least one list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time. The song was one of the 1960’s anthems of rebellion, but I believe that the reason for the song’s enduring popularity is that it is rooted in the reality of the human condition.
I can’t get no satisfaction,
I can’t get no satisfaction.
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try,
I can’t get no, I can’t get no.
Every child of Adam is born into the condition of dissatisfaction because of one simple reason: sin. Sin separates us from God, and we remain restless in our endless search for satisfaction. Not until a person is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit will real and meaningful satisfaction ever be experienced.
Pastor Tullian frequently quotes Augustine: “God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” We are made by God for God, and there is a God-sized void within every individual that can only be filled by God. Work cannot fill it. Money cannot fill it. Success cannot fill it. Relationships cannot fill it. Alcohol and drugs cannot fill it. Pleasure cannot fill it. Recreation and hobbies cannot fill it. We try and we try and we try, but we can never get the satisfaction we crave for at the deepest level. Only God can fill the space inside every individual that was meant solely for Him. The things of this world might temporarily make us feel filled and satisfied, but eventually they all turn to dust, leaving us empty and wanting.
So . . . is your life defined more by the Rolling Stones or the Righteous Rock? Where do you look for satisfaction?
If you are looking for it in anything smaller than God you will never be fully satisfied. Augustine was 100% right: the desire for satisfaction has been given to us by God. God created us to be fulfilled and satisfied, but that fulfillment will be found in only one place: a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we hunger and thirst for the things of this world, we will never be filled. The Wise Preacher of Ecclesiastes said it is like chasing the wind. It is only when we hunger and thirst after righteousness that we will be filled. God has promised it! “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).
The righteousness Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after is not a list of rules. Far too many in the church believe this is the way to satisfaction and fulfillment, but it is not. The righteousness Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after is a relationship with Him as our righteousness; a living, vital, intimate, loving relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. When we are pursuing Jesus, we are promised to be both filled and fulfilled. We will be truly satisfied!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 
