Feeling Satisfied
The word, satisfy, conjures up all kinds of images in my mind. The most recent was on Mother’s Day. Satisfy means to fulfill, gratify, or meet someone’s expectations, or needs. I could check the box in front of each one of those words because I was over-the-top satisfied. A mom with her family around her; more food offered than I could have ever eaten; expressions of love that made my heart full. My expectations were exceeded. I was completely SATISFIED. The truth is we ALL desire to be satisfied in our lives with people, places or things that meet our expectations, needs, and wants. But what will truly satisfy the desires of our hearts?
As children, we thought it might be that candy bar, ice cream or new toy that we begged our parents for at the store. As teenagers, we looked for satisfaction in good grades, that girl friend or boy friend, the lead role in the school play or being the hot shot athlete who received all kinds of accolades. But discontentment is what was left for us. As adults, we think that a bigger house or car, more money, more travels, a better job or more friends will quench our thirst. But we’re still left wanting more.
We drink a protein shake as a meal to help with weight loss but within minutes, we’ll say “That meal sure didn’t SATISFY me!” We overindulge in a meal (like I did on Sunday) and are regretting it today so I’ll drink a protein shake today to SATISFY my guilt and my upset stomach! Ugh!
Let’s be real — from the moms or dads whose day-to-day activities are mind-boggling — feeding kids, running errands, wiping faces and bottoms, checking homework, driving carpool — to the dads or moms who work from sun-up to sun-down to make ends meet for their growing family — they want to be SATISFIED with their accomplishments. And then there are those who look for love, vices, interests and people in all the wrong places to be SATISFIED.
The Psalmist David wrote “Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. SATISFY us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:13-14. That’s a paraphrase of Moses’ words when he was pleading with the Lord for relief from those demanding, whiny, and dissatisfied eople in their desert wanderings.
Moses gives us valuable insight for how to pray those desperate prayers: “Satisfy us in the morning.” He knew about the Lord’s daily satisfaction. Each morning, the Israelites would gather enough manna for the day. They were fed, filled, and satisfied by the Lord’s supernatural provision of food.
Moses knew the Word of the Lord would give him hope for the day’s struggles with those complaining people. God’s Word would give him patience as he waited. God’s Word would turn his eyes from his day’s circumstances and fix them instead on the character of his Lord.
God’s Word is the answer for our SATISFACTION, too. It is powerful – so powerful. In fact — just reading a small portion of the Bible every day will be like the Israelites receiving the Lord’s satisfying care every day, and that’s what we need, too.
We don’t have to read multiple chapters to sustain us for the week. We just need our daily portion. Just as the Lord was faithful to the Israelites, He is faithful today to all of us who turn to Him.
I’ll sign off this blog to go make my protein shake AND get my daily satisfaction from the ONE Who is greater than anything that could satisfy me. I’ll find Him in His Word where my greatest expectations are exceeded. There is nothing that will fill, prepare us and SATISFY us for this day’s demands like His Word and fellowship with Him.