He satisfies the longing soul

Psalm 107:1-9 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love,
for His wondrous works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul He fills with good things.

In my quiet time this morning, I "happened" to open to Psalm 107 and verse 9 "happened" to catch my eye -- "For He satisfies the longing soul..." Of course, I had to dig into the Hebrew Lexicon.

The Hebrew word used for "satisfies" literally means "to be satiated or enriched" -- blessed in over-abundance. "Longing" denotes running to and fro with a greedy eagerness. What I found particularly interesting was the word used for "soul." Now, when you think of a soul what immediately comes to your mind? My first thought was that it referred to an actual person (such as when we say "the poor soul"), but it's more than just that...

nephesh [neh'-fesh] -- living being (with life in the blood); the man himself, self, person or individual; seat of the appetites; seat of emotions and passions; activity of mind

The Lord does indeed satisfy the hungering soul. We have a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill, and we try to fill this gap with everything else (Christians included) -- success, money, friends, human love, material possessions -- you name it.

Of course, we have human desires. The Lord knows the "longings of my soul," but He often takes those crutches from me to draw myself closer to Him -- a constant reminder that ultimately, my Beloved is the only one who can satisfy me.