How to Find Real, Lasting Satisfaction

People today often feel dissatisfied. But probably most people believe that if they could just have more money, more pleasure, more things, more experiences, they could achieve happiness and satisfaction.

But is that true? Is there anything that will give us lasting satisfaction?

Wise and fabulously wealthy King Solomon wrote a lot about satisfaction, and the lack of it.

In Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Solomon describes all the things he tried in his search to find meaning, happiness and lasting satisfaction in life.

He tried it all. He tried comedy . . . music . . . pleasure . . . great building projects . . . gathering treasures . . . even wisdom. And yet after a while he felt it all was just vanity—empty, valueless, like chasing after wind.

Wonderful food and drink can’t satisfy our deepest hunger and thirst. Material things themselves don’t fulfill our inner longings.

Physical things can’t fill a spiritual hole

God says through Isaiah:

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).

God offers a way that is fulfilling and sustaining, not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. What a wonderful offer from God! He offers to satisfy our thirst and hunger, and He’s talking about more than just our physical thirst and hunger. But verse 2 says:

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”

We pay dearly for things that don’t quench our thirst or fill us, but God gives true satisfaction freely. Mankind is metaphorically spending its time and money on things that don’t satisfy—things that can’t satisfy us emotionally or spiritually.

This materialistic world tries to use physical things—fancy houses, fast cars, designer fashion—to fill a spiritual hole.

Our sensual world tries to look at, touch, taste, hear whatever we want—especially forbidden things, things God knows aren’t good for us. We think the taboo pleasures will satisfy us. Instead, they leave us feeling empty or dirty, or both.

But God continues:

“Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

“Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you—the sure mercies of David” (verses 2-3).

God offers a way that is fulfilling and sustaining, not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

So what does God offer?

As we look for the biblical answers, we have to recognize that sometimes they may not be what we expect. What are the biblical keys to being satisfied?

1. To find true, lasting satisfaction, we first need to fight covetousness.

In the past, when I was dissatisfied, I subconsciously considered it a sign that I wasn’t getting what I deserved, what I needed. It was someone else’s fault.

But could I sometimes have a part in causing my own dissatisfaction? I didn’t like that thought. But the more I studied the 10th Commandment about coveting (Exodus 20:17), the more I realized that to really have satisfaction, I needed to overcome coveting.

What is covetousness? According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, to covet means “to feel inordinate [immoderate, excessive] desire for what belongs to another.”

Coveting is a desire, especially a wrong desire, for something we can’t or shouldn’t have.

Our world tempts us with things to covet and desire at every turn. Advertisers have learned all the tricks to encourage our desire and longing for things we don’t have and dissatisfaction with what we do have.

Now ads are everywhere. MediaSmarts says we’re exposed to 4,000 ads every day!

But dissatisfaction is not created just by advertising and materialism. It seems to be a human weakness that Satan can find a way to tap, anywhere, anytime.

How do we fight covetousness?

We fight it by seeking to prioritize God above our own desires and by learning to trust Him to fulfill our needs. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you.”

God, His Kingdom and His righteousness should be our priorities. So we need to regularly reinforce the right priorities, and we need to constantly grow in faith—the belief that God will take care of our needs.

To fight covetousness, we also need to avoid dwelling on what we can’t have or pitying ourselves. When we let a desire or craving stay in our mind, it will work its way in even more deeply.

Instead of allowing a desire to remain in our minds and grow and conceive sin, we should be thankful for what we do have. We should remember that God does want us to have our desires, when they are good for us and align with His will.

As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Being thankful helps us avoid asking in a covetous, selfish, gimme-type way.

God wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). He wants the very best for us. But in this evil world, blessings can be delayed. In fact, we know by experience and biblical example that the Christian life can be very hard and full of trials.

We don’t get the desires of our hearts immediately. It takes living, growing faith to see what God has in store for us. And in the meantime, we need another key that helps us prepare for eternal satisfaction.

2. To find lasting satisfaction, we must learn contentment.

Consider the apostle Paul’s example. In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul wrote:

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

Paul didn’t waste his trials. He used his difficult circumstances to develop character, to fight the desire to complain, and instead to grow in faith and reliance on God. Complaining might be natural in times of great need, but contentment requires God’s help. As Paul says in verse 13:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Learning contentment is part of our training as God’s children. Learning to be content with a little can help us learn and prepare to be content and satisfied with much more.

God doesn’t want another Lucifer—another malcontent, another dissatisfied being of great power (Isaiah 14:12-14). Power corrupts, as the saying goes. God wants us to learn through experience how to be content and how to avoid becoming corrupt when He gives us more power and wealth.

3. To find real, eternal satisfaction, we must please God.

After listing all the unsatisfying things he had tried, Solomon gave this advice:

“There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

“For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, New Revised Standard Version, emphasis added throughout).

God’s way of thinking and acting is good and loving and generous. He finds joy, fulfillment and satisfaction in accomplishing good things and giving good gifts. And He is pleased when we choose to follow His example and become more like Him. Becoming like our Heavenly Father is our purpose in life, and it brings with it real, lasting joy and ultimate satisfaction.

You can study this further using the article “How to Please God.”

We will find that the things that delight God, that please Him and make Him happy, are the things that will eternally delight and please us as well. We are His children, and He is trying to teach us what things are just shiny bobbles, cheap and breakable toys, and what things are beautiful, valuable and eternally enjoyable.

4. To find lasting satisfaction, we must love others.

This is the same as the second great commandment: to love our neighbor as ourself.

Many times the Bible shows the benefits of God’s way of give, of loving our neighbor as ourselves, of serving others, looking out for their needs, caring about them.

God wants us to have a caring, giving, loving approach to others. God will bless and satisfy the giver. And giving itself is meaningful work—it’s a blessing that gives us purpose and joy.

Consider what the apostle Paul said in Acts 20:33-35. This is at the end of his powerful and emotional address to these Ephesian elders that he was sure he wouldn’t see again. He pleaded with them to follow his example of serving and giving.

He warned in verses 29 and 30 about savage wolves and men from among them who would attack the Church and draw away people after themselves, perhaps greedily thinking of the Church as a source of personal wealth.

Here’s how Paul ended this speech:

“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.

“Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.

“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Paul lived that way of give, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Giving to others gives us blessings—and, beyond that, it gives our lives meaning and a sense of belonging. It produces loving relationships.

Being part of God’s family will be what truly satisfies. And it will be the kind of satisfaction that never diminishes or grows old.

Consider one more scripture about the satisfaction that God promises. David wrote:

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures” (Psalm 36:7-8).

Fighting covetousness, learning contentment, pleasing God and loving others: these are the keys to real, lasting satisfaction!

Take the time to study this further in our article “Life More Abundantly.”