In God's House

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

Alright, let's just start with the obvious: As lyrics go, they don't exactly rank with a Shakesperean sonnet. But they were and are some of the most influential lyrics of the last 100 years. The Rolling Stones recorded (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction in 1965. It became their first number 1 hit. Forty years later, a panel of experts declared it the second greatest rock song of all time, behind only Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

We live in an a time and a culture of unlimited prosperity, comfort and affluence, but no satisfaction. The "Greatest Generation" survived the Great Depression and won World War II, and now their grandchildren and great grandchildren, living in the blessings of their sacrifices, can't seem to be happy. Why is that? Our own advertising culture argues against contentment...every TV ad or magazine cover reminds us that our car is too old, our house is too small, our waistline is too large, and our spouse is too unattractive. There is seemingly no reward for being happy with what we have. Even more problematic is the nature of life itself: If we are fortunate enough to have children, they eventually grow up and leave us. If we are blessed with money, it flies away at the first downturn in the economy, or the first poor investment decision we make. No matter how carefully we guard our health, eventually our bodies break down and die anyway. Who could be happy in a world like this?

Next week in our Bible reading, we will come across Psalm 84. This beautiful Psalm has been the inspiration for many wonderful praise songs, two of which we will feature in this Sunday's worship service. But in my mind, it's not really a Psalm about worship: It's about satisfaction. I have come to believe that the key to satisfaction is not finding the right blend of happy circumstances; it's training ourselves to hunger for the right thing. Read Psalm 84 sometime before Sunday and ask yourself, "What is the Psalmist hungry for? Do I hunger for the same thing?"