We all know a few people who have a real gift for remaining calm and contented, even when chaos swirls through their corners of the world.
Job loss? They calmly start cutting back their lifestyle and crank up their prayer lives, with contentment characterizing their interactions with others.
Medical problems? They calmly — and without complaining — start making difficult dietary and activity changes that might improve their prognosis and they crank up their prayer lives, with the resulting contentment in their faith shining like lighthouses.
Family stress? They calmly and graciously seek to guide their loved one(s) toward accurately recognizing the core reasons for conflict and they crank up their prayers lives in recognition that only the Spirit of God can remake another person’s heart and transform stubbornness into a supple love.
Contented Christians know that the things that truly settle the heart are those things that only God can do through His Holy Spirit.
“The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” (Proverbs 19:23)
A person or a disease might rob me of my meager estate, but God has my eternal rewards safely stored away in glory where I’ll still be just starting to enjoy those centuries after I’m dead.
That’s enough right there for me to rest content in the Lord.
But there’s so much more.
I’ve had a season of long-term unemployment — as in nearly two years.
And with not even the first penny of unemployment income from Uncle Sam.
But I rested content because I knew that my eternal nest egg was untouched by financial stresses of this life and in the fact that God had provided a job for my wife and at least we had food to eat, clothes to wear, a small place to live and two old cars that still worked.
As 2 Cor. 9:8 promised, God WAS able to graciously provide for us so that we might abound in good works for His Kingdom.
Even in the midst of difficult health issues during the long-term unemployment, I was content. Not because I’m SuperChristian but instead because of my daily reminders found in God’s Word of how He is sovereign AND involved in the daily lives of His children.
Listen, my friend. If you don’t feel genuine contentment in your heart, particularly when things aren’t going well in your life, please do the humbling work of looking honestly and deeply into your heart.
Is God sitting in the driver’s seat there? Or are you still the boss of yourself? If you want contentment, I suggest that you slide out of the driver’s seat and let God have the seat that has had His name on it since He created you in your mother’s womb.
Your life will have times of chaos swirling around you but your soul WILL get to your mansion over the hilltop, a mansion that will never face another storm.
As always, I love you
Martin
