Not Satisfied?

One day, as I walked down a narrow path through the bushes in my village, I heard the screeching of birds and rodents. I wondered, ‘What could possibly satisfy every whim and desire a man could imagine? What can satisfy them?”

My heart slid into a sudden depression and hopelessness of life, as if I not yet understood what that meant as a teenager. There was a big void in my heart. I thought, “Even if I had the best of everything, would that be enough to give lasting happiness? Not satisfied, no matter how hard I tried to figure it out.

The Void

As I pondered more and more, the void grew larger, as if I would fall into it and never return. My heart yearned for something to fill the emptiness. Many years passed after that, but the void remained. On numerous occasions, I had seen a ball of bright white light appear repeatedly on the walls of my dark room, sometimes even during the day or in the sky. I never understood its meaning. My physics mind told me to find a rational explanation. I tried but it defied laws of physics.

I was hoping that one day, I would understand the meaning of life. Wondering why I’m here in this enclosure called earth, rolling and mingling with fellow humans. Whose plan was all this?

Even among the best humans I’d met, including the meanest, I found no answers. I walked on, a void gnawing at me. Looking ahead, I yearned for something beyond the day to day experience: eating, drinking, clothes, poverty, luxury… a life beyond mere existence, beyond the cycle of failure and success.

There’s a void in a person’s heart, a yearning for something more, until they find their passion. For many, that happens in college. I, like countless others, crossed from teenager to young adult with excitement. The prospect of university life was exhilarating – a vibrant community, a chance to explore knowledge, and the promise of a degree. We entered the ivory tower with a shared purpose: to learn, to grow, to “pass through university and let it pass through us,” as the saying went. That meant soaking up everything college offered – late-night discussions, departmental dinners, boisterous halls of residence parties, and thought-provoking or boring lectures. It meant striving for academic success, forging friendships, and carving out one’s identity. It meant immersing yourself in the campus culture, whether that was dancing to the latest music or finding solace in a quiet corner of your room. For some, it included the joy (and inevitable heartbreak) of finding love. These experiences, however intense, were confined to a bubble. Beyond the ivy walls lay the vast unknown, a world we were about to navigate.

Despite the good, the bad and the ugly, the void never disappeared until a time came when I walked into a buzzing hall full of undergraduates, vibing to some melodious songs. It was surreal because it wasn’t anything close to the hip hop we had enjoyed in our halls of residence. This was different. They were lost in some sort of a heavenly rhythm.

And that day, a great relief entered my heart. All worries of tomorrow went out as someone sweeps away the dirt and makes the house clean. The light entered my heart and I felt peace within and outside. My face lit up like a neon light. That day, everything changed. I didn’t have the money or the house or the job or anything I physically desired. Yet, the joy within was greater than I had ever had. And the journey started into divinity. A baby step at a time. The bright light that used to appear on the wall now made sense to me.

Despite the initial setback in life at the early stage, the life ahead was promising. And it’s still promising.

God Alone Can Satisfy

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMPC), the word of God says:
“God has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun BUT GOD ALONE CAN SATISFY], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

This is where I’m going. God has planted eternity in a man’s and woman’s heart; a divinely planted sense of purpose through that person’s life that nothing under the sun BUT GOD ALONE CAN SATISFY. There is a void in the human heart that only God can fill. No wealth, no power, no earthly pleasure can satisfy the deep longing in our hearts. Only God can bring true fulfillment.

Unless we all find our divine purpose here on earth, the void remains. It is finding and walking in that divine purpose put in us by God that every other thing becomes a tool to fulfill that purpose in life.

I don’t know where you are in the journey of life, but I know for sure that if you draw closer to God today, He will fill the void in your heart.

Oh the Lord Jesus – I know some may not want to hear that name, but friends, there is no other thing I can tell you as a solution outside of Him. Even if you have made Him your Lord and Savior, and you still have that void, I’m glad to tell you, He will fill it.

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11: 28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation. Not at all. There is no other power greater than the one that the Lord Jesus has given to us. I have tasted it. I’m so convinced of His power.

Let me tell you one of many stories of His power in demonstration that I have experienced.

Herbalist turned to Jesus

On this particular day, I was waiting for food from a fast food joint when a middle-aged man approached my car. I recognized him as a herbalist, likely trying to sell his wares. Though I was tired from hunger, I gently wound down my window glass to listen to him, knowing well that I would preach the good news to him. A strong, unfamiliar odor wafted from him, perhaps a byproduct of his herbal concoctions. As expected, he launched into a pitch for his various protective amulets, chanting an incantation softly as he spoke. A deep yearning welled up inside me. A powerful rumble in my spirit seemed to urge me to speak up, to counter his message.

*^{This image is representative of what the man looked like but not his exact picture}*

While I was preparing to interrupt him, I looked into his eyes and saw a soul that needed help more than anyone else. Tears came to my eyes. I quickly wiped them off and gently interrupted him with a few questions.

“I want to ask you,” I said. “Of all these gods you conjure for your charms, has any one of them ever returned from the dead?” He paused, then shook his head, as if to confirm they never came back. I continued, “I know you will tell me that their spirits are with you. But I will tell you Someone who I worship that has walked the earth like Sango (your god of thunder), Ogun (your god of iron), Yemoja (your goddess of water) and so on, He died and remained the only One who resurrected and forever alive.”

He was quiet for a while. I advanced my points, “He came to this earth, anointed by God with His Holy Spirit and power, went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. He never killed anyone, nor sinned. He was killed, but He rose on the third day and ascended to heaven and forever alive at the right hand of the Almighty God. He shed His blood to make atonement for the sin of mankind. No other blood sacrifice can save a man. Not the blood of animals or any human can atone for sins or prevent the judgement in eternity, except the blood of Jesus Christ. He is the only Way to God. He is the only Truth and the Life of God. See, as I speak to you now, His power will come upon you and you will know. I know you can sense evil power but right now, the power of God will descend on you so that you will know that there is no other that can save except Jesus.”

He looked at me like, “Really, prove it!” Well, I didn’t know why I said it. I continued, “I will not touch you nor do anything but you will sense the power of God coming upon you because I’m speaking about Him to you.”

Before I could finish saying it, he began to sweat profusely. His countenance changed. I sense it is time to lead him to Jesus. I asked him if he wanted this Jesus I was telling him about. He answered yes! I led him to Jesus and I prayed for him. During prayer, I noticed he was shaking visibly. This sparked a strong feeling of compassion within me. As the prayer ended, he let out a heavy sigh of relief and thanked me profusely. I gave the glory to God. Deeply moved, I gave him my book (Are You Alive?) and some cash for his transportation home. We then spoke briefly, and I counseled him on what to do next.

The Grace of God

Jesus brought grace. That through His death, burial and resurrection, we can have access to this grace of salvation. That is what He came to do and has committed into our hands to share the good news with all mankind. If you are reading this and you feel I need Him too, You are not far from it. Simply believe Him, and welcome Him into your heart by saying:

“Lord Jesus, today, I believe You came and died for my sins so that I can come back to God. Thank you for sending Him to the earth to redeem us back to You. Today, I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I renounce all the works of Satan. I decide to follow Him as my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my life. Thank you, Father. For in Jesus name I prayed.”

That’s it!

Now to you that have been in Christ for sometime, and you still feel that void, Jesus said in Matthew 11: 28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Do you believe Jesus said that? Do you believe that He wants you to do that? Do you believe that He will help you? Then, go ahead and lay the burden down as in 1 Peter 5:7 (AMPC), “Cast the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

How do you cast them? Tell God the Father everything that are your anxieties, worries and concerns. List them and tell the Father that you are obeying the instruction of Jesus by laying all of them before Him in the name of Jesus. Tell Him that you know He affectionately cares for you and watches over you.

Don’t doubt! Don’t tell yourself, “I have done it several times but it never worked.” Don’t do that to yourself. Believe He has heard you. Whenever the anxieties, worries and concern surface in your mind, scream out loud, “I shall not worry. Anxieties, worries and concerns leave my heart in Jesus name!” Scream it. Everything must bow to the name of Jesus. Command them to leave your heart. Keep praising God and in no time, you will see the physical manifestation of what you pray and believe God for.

Let me close by saying there is a void in man (in generic term) that only God can satisfy. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMPC) says, “God has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun BUT GOD ALONE CAN SATISFY], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.“

Jesus said in John 7:37-39
“…Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive…”

You believe Jesus, right? When that thirst comes upon you and you feel the void, go to Him in tongues. According to His words, He will fill you up. Only Him can quench your thirst, your desires. Go to Him. Don’t ignore Him. Don’t spend your life trying to figure it out alone. Go to Him. And He is there to help us. Amen!

Glory be to God! I will advise you to read more by clicking any of the links below on knowing the Father and building yourself in God:
You are not doomed
Do you believe God
No One Like You
Are You Alive Series?
Dead the Noise
Not Transactional
Forget Not
Who Do You Worship
Love Not