Content In Our Saviour

November 7, 2011

“For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:11-13

I read this passage the other day and the Lord just hit me over the head with it. Lately He has been teaching me a lot about contentment, and when I opened my devotional, this definition was at the top:

Contentment – the state of being contented; to be satisfied; manifesting satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.

 So many times in our lives, when things aren’t going quite the way we planned, it is tempting to become impatient and whine until our situation changes. We think that because things don’t make sense, God couldn’t possibly be at work, and so we worry about what to do, and how to change it. God has shown me in these passages however, that He is always in control, and that contentment and trust go hand in hand. When I am trusting that God will do what He says He will do, and trust that even though His timing may not be my timing, I can rest. Hebrews 13:5-6 says “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said ‘never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, the lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

We can put our trust and security in so many things here on earth, but ultimately they will fail us and only offer empty hope. As the Creator of heaven and earth, why would we even think of trusting in the things of this world rather than the one who made it all and holds it in the palm of His hands? Though we may never know why the Lord allows things at the times that He allows them, when we are putting our full trust in Him, we can rest secure knowing that He has a plan and wants only what is best for us. Psalm 103:5 says that the Lord satisfies our desires with good things. Not always what we think is good, but what He knows is good. To be content is to love what He has to offer and realize that it is all we need.

 John Piper once said:“When Jesus is my treasure, I am completely satisfied.”

by: Christy Gandy