“I Can’t Get No... Satisfaction”
By Susan Klein
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed...”
2 Corinthians 4:8a
Ever have a day (week, month, year...) where nothing seems to go right? It feels as if everyone and everything are against you, and everything that could go wrong does! In all your well-meaning effort and striving, things just don’t seem to go right. You begin to question the reason for getting out of bed another morning! By Susan Klein
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed...”
2 Corinthians 4:8a
For those of us born longer ago than we care to admit, the 1965 Rolling Stones song, “Satisfaction,” may ring a familiar bell. In the chorus, Mick Jagger belts out, “I can’t get no satisfaction, ‘cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try...” (1) The lyrics repeat this repetitive phrase, implying that no matter how hard we try, things just don’t go the way we want them to.
Okay, so perhaps you weren’t a Rolling Stones fan or are just too young to remember that song. Surely you can relate to David in the Psalms. “Relent, O Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servant.” “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” Haven’t we all been in David’s shoes, crying out to God in our desperation and wondering why He is tarrying in answering us? “God, I’ve been struggling with this for quite some time now! Why aren’t you helping me? How long do I have to bear this burden?”
Notice that our trying gets us nowhere. Our human efforts cannot rescue us from our demise. Even asking our heavenly Father to remove our affliction doesn’t always appear to work. I recall Paul going through a similar scenario in 2 Corinthians chapter twelve. He had an unnamed affliction that he petitioned God to remove not once, but three times. And what was God’s response? “My grace is sufficient for you...” Or, in the Greek language it actually reads: “Sufficient for you, is my grace.” In other words, I will give you what you need at this present time to sustain you through this particular trial. It will be enough. Notice He doesn’t promise to give us what we want, but rather what we need for today.
Next time you want to bury your head under the covers in resignation, meet with your Maker and accept the grace He is offering for that day. Don’t venture out on your own efforts, or run ahead of Him. Let His grace be sufficient!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Is there a lingering trial or affliction that has been keeping you down?
2. Can you accept God’s grace for this day and not worry about what tomorrow holds?
FURTHER READING:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18; James 1:2-4, 12-18
(1) © 1965, London Records; written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; produced by Andrew Loog Oldham
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of its teachers.
