Hello Friend,

Since last October, I have slowly been reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. These past several weeks I have been in the book of Psalms. Now, I must confess, I usually enjoy the book of Psalms, but this time around, I felt as though I wasn’t gleaning as much as I had hoped. That is, until recently. This past week I was reading through Psalm 106 and 107 and I came across a couple verses that stopped me in my tracks. I want to share them with you and share what the Lord has been teaching me as a result!

(For context’s sake, the following verses are from Psalms which is recapping a bit of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. I’ve added the word “they” in reference to the Israelites. I would encourage you to read the chapter for yourself for an even better understanding of the context!).

A Lesson Learned From the Book of Psalms

“But [they] lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” Psalm 106:14-15

Here’s what I find so fascinating about these two verses. God gave the Israelites exactly what they wanted! They were walking around in the wilderness, hungry and complaining. They were lusting after physical food. In the end, God gave in to their complaints and gave them what they thought they “needed”. But it came with a price. As an exchange for this physical food God sent leanness into their soul!

How often do we do this? How often have I done this?! We pray and beg God to give us something we think we need. We pray for things that aren’t really God’s will for our lives, and God gives them to us, but in exchange we pay a price. Our hearts and souls become “lean” as a result.

We pray for a better job and more money.

We pray for a bigger house.

We pray for a better car.

We pray for a certain relationship.

We pray for those extra things we think we “need”.

None of these things may be inherently wrong (we are supposed to pray about every aspect of our life!). However, we often pray for things based solely on our carnal wishes and lustful desires (see James 4:3). And this is so very dangerous! Why? Because God may very well decide to give us these things. But in exchange for these physical blessings, God sends a leanness into our souls. We find out in the midst of receiving physical, material blessings, that we have in exchange given up the health of our spiritual life.

This “leanness of soul” wasn’t just a temporary issue for the Israelites. No, this comes up again in the very next Psalm.

“Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.” Psalm 107:5

I think you and I both know that this verse means the Israelites were just hungry and weary! They needed food, water, and rest… and because they were lacking these things their “souls fainted”. We can easily understand this problem from a physical perspective, but what about a spiritual perspective as well?

Their souls were empty and dry. They were parched. They needed God in the most desperate way possible. They had weak souls because they had exchanged their spiritual health for material, physical blessings.

Have you ever found yourself in a place where your soul just feels empty? There’s something missing and no matter how hard you try, nothing in the World seems able to fill it?

I have felt this way before, and I imagine you have as well. Here’s a truth you and I must remember…

We cannot fill an empty soul with anything physical or material. An empty soul is a SPIRITUAL problem, not a physical one.

I love the metaphor of the Israelites longing for food and water. It’s a physical dilemma we can fully understand from a human perspective. But their emptiness went so much further than physical hunger and thirst. They had an emptiness in their soul that nothing could fill but God Himself.

The psalmist reminds us of this truth just a few verses later:

“For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:9

Is your soul empty? Is it longing? Is it hungry?

There’s only One person that can truly fill a hungry soul and that’s God Himself. When you find yourself walking around with an empty feeling, when you’re tempted to fill it with material, physical things (food, more stuff, relationships, pleasures) remember to turn to God instead. Don’t exchange a true spiritual filling of your soul for something physical that will only bring leanness instead.

Let the LORD fill your hungry soul with His goodness and love. He’s the only One that can truly satisfy your longing heart and soul!

Heart Check:

Before you go… here are some simple questions to ask and consider:

• When I pray, do I genuinely want the Lord’s will to be accomplished in my life, or do I want MY will to be accomplished?
• Are my wants and desires based on things that bring honor and glory to God, or are they stemming from carnal and worldly pursuits?
• What material or physical blessings have I been enjoying in exchange for a lean and empty soul? (i.e. excess time on social media, the wrong relationships, a greedy pursuit of wealth or material possessions, excess amount of time spent on hobbies or leisure, etc.)
• When my soul feels empty, do I turn to a physical solution or am I taking my emptiness to the right place – God Himself?

I hope this simple lesson from the book of Psalms was an encouragement to your heart!

If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy:

• 20+ Bible Verses for Waiting Seasons
• Becoming a Woman of Virtue: A Bible Study on Ruth
• What You Need to Know About the Proverbs 31 Woman

Until Next Time,