The Hell of Unsatisfied Longings
Lately, I have been dealing with high levels of anxiety and stress. Last night, I went to bed with my mind racing and I woke up anxious. For my morning time with the Lord, I decided to read some Psalms at the end. Reading and praying the Psalms always helps me to remember who God is and that he is not blind, silent or far.
The 3 psalms I read were 49, 73, and 112. They have a very similar theme: the destiny of the fools or wicked (i.e. the ones who do not fear/trust God), is destruction; they will perish swiftly leaving behind all that they have gained on earth. But for the righteous (i.e. the ones who fear/trust God), though they may suffer now, a joyful eternity is secured; their deeds will have a lasting and eternal impact (Psalm 49:10-13;73:27-28;112:6-9).
The verse that stood out to me the most is Psalm 112:10, especially the part in bold:
The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish! (NIV: the longings of the wicked will come to nothing)
A Terrifying Reality
Besides the similarity of the language in this verse with how Jesus describes Hell in the gospels (Matthew 13:42,50,22:13,24:51,25:30, Luke 13:28), the idea that the longings of the wicked will come to nothing is terrifying! In a similar language, the Book of Job says that the hope of the godless perishes and their joy lasts but a moment (Job 8:13; 20:5).
I don’t know about you but one of the promises of God that helps me to endure suffering, loss, and unsatisfied desires is that one day all of my true longings will be fully satisfied by God Himself (Psalm 16:11; Psalm 17:15; Revelation 21:3-4). Together with all his children, all of my tears and pain will be wiped away. I will live in eternal blissful joy in the Presence of God, my God.
Therefore, to imagine a state where someone has to exist for eternity with the excruciating weight of hopelessness, unsatisfied longings, un-wiped tears, and un-comforted pain sounds like hell. It is hell. This is what is awaiting those who reject Christ if they do not turn to him.
Father, I pray for them, that today, if they hear your voice, that they do not harden their hearts but run to Jesus; for whoever comes to Him, He will never cast out (Hebrews 3:15; John 6:37).
Does this idea of unsatisfied longings and un-wiped tears for eternity terrify you too? Comment below!
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