By Jermaine Streeter
Have you ever chased success, pleasure, or recognition, only to feel emptier than before? That gnawing ache in your soul isn’t just restlessness, it’s a divine signal. A hunger no amount of money, relationships, or worldly victories can satisfy. The truth is, we were made for more, but that “more” isn’t found in what the world offers. It’s found in Christ.
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.”
— Isaiah 55:2 (NASB)
The Empty Promises of the World
From the outside, it looks like we’re winning. The degrees. The brand-new car. The dream job. The applause on social media. But inside, many are drowning in anxiety, depression, and identity confusion. We pursue quick fixes:
As we continue scrolling endlessly through social media hoping to feel connected. Overworking, thinking another promotion will finally make us feel “enough.” Partying, relationships, or material things used to drown out the void. Yet nothing sticks. The satisfaction is shallow and short-lived. The world can stimulate, but never satisfy.
A Hunger Planted by Heaven
That longing for more? That’s spiritual hunger. It’s your soul remembering where it came from. C.S. Lewis once said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
God designed us to find peace, identity, and fulfillment in Him, not in temporary things of this world.
Christ: The Only Source That Fills
Jesus didn’t come to give us something. He came to give us Himself. He is the Bread of Life, the Living Water. When we make Him our center, suddenly, everything else aligns. The job becomes a platform. The relationship becomes a mission field. The success becomes a testimony, not an idol.
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
— John 10:10 (NIV)
Filling the Void With Purpose
If you’re an athlete, you’re grinding, training, hitting PRs, but the wins feel hollow. When you play for Christ, every shot, every sprint becomes worship. Students, straight A’s aren’t enough to quiet the panic. But when your identity is rooted in Christ, your peace isn’t based on GPA it’s based on how Christ will use you to further His will. Parents and coaches, you pour into others, but feel burnt out. Let God pour back into you through daily time in His Word and presence.
Stop Running, Start Receiving
Christ isn’t asking you to earn Him, He’s asking you to surrender to Him. The void you’re trying to fill with performance, possessions, or popularity is shaped exactly like Him.
Let today be the day you stop chasing empty things and start embracing the One who fills all things.
Take 10 minutes today to be still before God. Ask: “Lord, where have I tried to fill the void without You?”
