Day 6 - Pastor Brad Reynolds
Satisfied - Day 6
Psalm 37:4. We hear this Scripture a lot, and we quote this Scripture a lot: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
You know, as I was preparing for devotions about being satisfied in the Lord over these 21 days of prayer and fasting, I thought back to 2019. I was still six years away at that time from retiring as a teacher, and I had this feeling inside of me back then. And it really wasn’t a God thing—I think it was just me. I was struggling with thinking, Is there more in store for me vocationally than being an elementary PE teacher? I’d spent half of my life in one building teaching, and I was really growing restless. I was even on the internet looking around to see if there was something else out there for me.
And I received a call toward the end of 2018. It was from an administrator at my old alma mater, Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Now, I love Bethany College, and I love Lindsborg. The years I spent there were amazing, and I feel like I received an excellent education while I was there. But I wasn’t looking for a job there. I didn’t even think about it. But my name had come up in a conversation for a new position that they were creating—the Director of Institutional Advancement. Basically rubbing elbows with alumni—basically rubbing elbows with alumni who made a lot more money than this elementary teacher could ever make.
And so, I agreed to do an interview, and Connie and I went in early February of 2019. Now, this job would have meant trading in my sweats and my T-shirt for dress pants and a tie every day. My office would have been next to the president of the college instead of in an old gymnasium. The pay would have been way more than I’d ever imagined I would make as a teacher. And after the interview, the job was mine for the taking.
And as we drove away, I asked Connie what she thought, and she was on board with it. She was open to it. So I asked them to give me the rest of the week to think about it. God had dropped this opportunity right in my lap. I didn’t go looking for it—it came looking for me. And it was better than anything I could have dreamed up for myself.
And a few days later, it was a Friday morning. I was driving to school, and as clear as the hand in front of my face, I heard God say, “You’re right where I need you.” And instantly, I knew that I had to turn that job down—the opportunity down. I called that morning, thanked them, and told them I respectfully could not take that position.
And looking back on that whole situation, I believe with all my heart that God dropped that opportunity in my lap just so I could turn it down and devote all of my attention to where He had placed me. It really was as if God was saying, “I can put you anywhere I want, doing anything you want, making all the money that you want—everything you’ve ever dreamed of, and maybe even more. But you’re where I need you, and that’s where I want you.”
And when I surrendered to that and I listened, I was totally satisfied with the answer. And the last six years have been great. I’ve never looked back like I made a mistake. I didn’t. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m content. I’m satisfied. It instantly satisfied my desire to look elsewhere, and I settled into finishing my career at Douglas at the grade school. I’ll retire this May after 31 years in the same building.
Psalm 37:4 again tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart. In my case—and probably in many cases—the desires of our hearts and the desires that God has for our hearts may not be the same. But it’s not until we seek Him, not until we trust Him, that those true desires are eventually revealed. I was so fixated on my desires that I couldn’t see what God’s real plan was for me all along.
If we want to be satisfied in the Lord, we simply need to delight ourselves in Him. So tomorrow, we’re going to talk about what delighting ourselves in the Lord looks like.
Let’s pray.
Father God, I thank You that where I am in my journey is exactly where You’ve called me to be. And I pray for those who aren’t sure where they are or what it is they are to be doing. I pray for a desire in their hearts to delight themselves in You. And as they do that, You begin to open up—or even close—doors along the way. I thank You for clarity, peace, guidance, and direction, that they might walk out the plan that You have for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
You know, as I was preparing for devotions about being satisfied in the Lord over these 21 days of prayer and fasting, I thought back to 2019. I was still six years away at that time from retiring as a teacher, and I had this feeling inside of me back then. And it really wasn’t a God thing—I think it was just me. I was struggling with thinking, Is there more in store for me vocationally than being an elementary PE teacher? I’d spent half of my life in one building teaching, and I was really growing restless. I was even on the internet looking around to see if there was something else out there for me.
And I received a call toward the end of 2018. It was from an administrator at my old alma mater, Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Now, I love Bethany College, and I love Lindsborg. The years I spent there were amazing, and I feel like I received an excellent education while I was there. But I wasn’t looking for a job there. I didn’t even think about it. But my name had come up in a conversation for a new position that they were creating—the Director of Institutional Advancement. Basically rubbing elbows with alumni—basically rubbing elbows with alumni who made a lot more money than this elementary teacher could ever make.
And so, I agreed to do an interview, and Connie and I went in early February of 2019. Now, this job would have meant trading in my sweats and my T-shirt for dress pants and a tie every day. My office would have been next to the president of the college instead of in an old gymnasium. The pay would have been way more than I’d ever imagined I would make as a teacher. And after the interview, the job was mine for the taking.
And as we drove away, I asked Connie what she thought, and she was on board with it. She was open to it. So I asked them to give me the rest of the week to think about it. God had dropped this opportunity right in my lap. I didn’t go looking for it—it came looking for me. And it was better than anything I could have dreamed up for myself.
And a few days later, it was a Friday morning. I was driving to school, and as clear as the hand in front of my face, I heard God say, “You’re right where I need you.” And instantly, I knew that I had to turn that job down—the opportunity down. I called that morning, thanked them, and told them I respectfully could not take that position.
And looking back on that whole situation, I believe with all my heart that God dropped that opportunity in my lap just so I could turn it down and devote all of my attention to where He had placed me. It really was as if God was saying, “I can put you anywhere I want, doing anything you want, making all the money that you want—everything you’ve ever dreamed of, and maybe even more. But you’re where I need you, and that’s where I want you.”
And when I surrendered to that and I listened, I was totally satisfied with the answer. And the last six years have been great. I’ve never looked back like I made a mistake. I didn’t. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m content. I’m satisfied. It instantly satisfied my desire to look elsewhere, and I settled into finishing my career at Douglas at the grade school. I’ll retire this May after 31 years in the same building.
Psalm 37:4 again tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our heart. In my case—and probably in many cases—the desires of our hearts and the desires that God has for our hearts may not be the same. But it’s not until we seek Him, not until we trust Him, that those true desires are eventually revealed. I was so fixated on my desires that I couldn’t see what God’s real plan was for me all along.
If we want to be satisfied in the Lord, we simply need to delight ourselves in Him. So tomorrow, we’re going to talk about what delighting ourselves in the Lord looks like.
Let’s pray.
Father God, I thank You that where I am in my journey is exactly where You’ve called me to be. And I pray for those who aren’t sure where they are or what it is they are to be doing. I pray for a desire in their hearts to delight themselves in You. And as they do that, You begin to open up—or even close—doors along the way. I thank You for clarity, peace, guidance, and direction, that they might walk out the plan that You have for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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