I Want a Love That Satisfies

Thank you Gwen Smith for today’s message…

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. ~ Psalm 90:14, NIV

I’m needy when it comes to love. Remember that game Hungry Hungry Hippos? Well, I’m pretty much Hungry Hungry Gwenno. (Don’t remember that game? Google it and then buy it for your child, four-year-old nephew, neighbor or grandkid. You’ll thank me.)

It seems our old friend Moses was a bit of a hungry hippo too.

In Psalm 90 he asked God to fill him and God’s people full of love: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (v. 14). Love this! Note that Moses connected the love of God with a satisfaction that put a song in his heart and a skip in his step.

Yes. I want this too. So my prayer each morning becomes, Satisfy me with Your love today, Lord. Fill me with Your joy and gladness, and lead my actions to sing of You.

As I pray this, God’s companionship meets my loneliness.

His grace overwhelms my grump.

His joy trumps my anger.

His provision satisfies my need.

David recognized that he needed God’s all-satisfying love too. He celebrated it … was desperate for it … was responsive to it. Look at what he penned in the familiar words of Psalm 63:

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (vv. 1–5)

I see my own heart reflected in David’s words and realize that when I’m hankering for a hunk of love, my longings are best met in the arms of my Lord. His is the love of power and glory. His love is “better than life.” And, like David, I choose to respond to His love with worship. My lips will glorify Him. I will lift up my hands. I will praise the all-worthy One. In doing so, my soul is secure. Satisfied.

Ultimately, I experience the satisfaction of God’s love through Jesus.

God’s perfect love compelled Him to sacrifice His Son to bridge the chasm of death between His holiness and my humanness. His is the love that holds, the love that heals, the love that refines, the love that calls my waywardness back to purity with kindness, the love that is always with me, that rejoices over me with singing and takes “great delight” in me (Zeph. 3:17).

This sacred, scarlet love of Jesus is the Living Water that quenches the desperate longings of my thirsty soul. If I want all the love God has for me, my feeble hands must reach for the ones that were pierced for my transgressions.

Every day.

When the sun shines.

When the storm screams.

I find God’s love when I reach out to Jesus.

His is the only love that satisfies.

Have a blessed day!

The Benefit of Board Games

We live in a world controlled by the signal on our phone and if WIFI is available.  I know it sounds crazy but the truth is what happens when we can’t get a signal on our phone?  Or what happens when the internet goes down?  Is there sheer panic in the house?  Do your kids begin to complain there is nothing to do?  Do you panic trying to figure out how to entertain not only your children but yourself without the internet.

When Belinda was younger, we played board games.  I may have dreaded the never ending Junior Monopoly.  Then there was Hungry Hungry Hippos. Rummekube was a hit too.  We also played card games like Skippo and Uno. The truth is it was fun.   

Board games (and card games) are great at any age and provide a lot of fun and laughter, but there are also many other benefits that you may not realize.

#1 – Teaches problem-solving

Board games provide a lot of opportunities to practice problem-solving.  Kids are always thinking about their next move and how they can keep you from winning the game.

#2 Encourages teamwork

There are a few games where you have to work together. Hi Ho Cherry O is one of the first ones with a team aspect to the game. Even when the games which don’t call for teams you can pair an older child with a younger to “help” during a game which may be too advanced.

#3 Teaches children to follow directions

Learning to follow directions is a biggie when it comes to board games. Kids need to learn to take the time to understand and follow the rules so there isn’t complete chaos. This also provides some teaching moments when a rule doesn’t work in your favor but you need to follow it anyway.

#4 Sneaks in some learning

Board games are a great way to sneak some learning into your day without your kids complaining. Even the preschool games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders have some basic skills. Learning to count your moves, match up colors and shapes and even practicing math facts can all be accomplished with games.  Did you know that on Chutes and Ladders good choices are often rewarded with a ladder while the naughty children are the ones going down the chutes.

Some favorite family game recommendations:
Monopoly
Candyland
Chutes and Ladders
Chess
Battleship
Scrabble

Does your family do game night? What are some of your favorites?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!