Learning Contentment

4:11 "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."

Contentment is something Paul LEARNED. It did not come upon him all at once, it was a PROCESS. We should expect the same pattern to be necessary in OUR lives.

What is the process by which one LEARNS to be content? It certainly doesn’t come by means of ease and comfort, does it? As long as we live problem-free lives we will learn nothing about being content in turmoil and poverty. The only way to learn contentment is through difficulty. Here’s how it generally happens:

1- God sends trials.

2- In the face of the trials, we recognize our need and cry out to God in our fear.

3- God answers our cries and meets our needs.

You can see this process at work in many places in Scripture, especially the Psalms.

Through this process, we learn to trust in God:

"We do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves ------ so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us." (2Cor.1:8-10)

As the cycle repeats itself, we are being trained to trust. We are shown our need, and then we are shown God’s faithfulness, over and over again. Pretty soon, by God’s grace, we start remembering God’s faithfulness from the past when we are facing the new trial, and we start to panic less and trust more. Eventually we can actually be content in the times of trial and want, because we are confident in the God who is worthy of our trust. Then we can join Paul in saying, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."

But it’s foolish for a man to think that he is going to learn to be content without going through many hard trials. This is why we should be sincerely thankful for our trials, instead of resenting them:

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

Thank You, dear Father, for Your tender way with me. Thank You that You are relentlessly working out Your will in me, and yet doing so in a gentle and merciful way. Please help me to learn the lessons of contentment well. You are so worthy of my trust; You have proved Yourself over and over to be a very present help in times of trouble. It is so fitting for me to trust You, and yet I am still so slow to do so. Please teach me to trust in You, Lord. Teach me to be content whatever my circumstances.