What is a mark of contentment? A mark which should be found in every Christian? It is the sweet quiet stillness within ones heart. This inner calmness should not be confused with a person who seems at peace on the outside but on the inside its a different story. And some of us can fake it on the outside really well. When a person is under pressure there are some who can appear calm without. Yet within only God and the person themself knows the truth. Yes, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but in the end the truth always come out. So also with contentment in the end as the press builds one can see that the truth will always be seen.
Let us make a distinction here for a moment. This life will be full of affliction the reasons for this are many. Yet this fact remains we are all in one of three places. One we are in the middle of the storm. Two we are coming out of the storm. Three we are going into the storm. As as a fallen sinful race it is a fact of life and as Christians we get a bonus of more trouble in this life. Now some of you may take acceptation to that last statement but it is a Biblical truth.
John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Job 14:1“How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!
Psalms 34:19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
II Cor. 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
This list could go on but I believe this is enough for now. A great disservice is done by those that teach that the Christian life is supposed to be a life of wealth, health and a lack of troubles Just take one look at the life of our Lord and Savior. His life was full of trouble and in the end death. So, why would we as His servants believe we would be any better. The world hated Him and it will hate us also.
So we know our life will have problems and we know we must live a life of contentment. Does that mean I can’t take my problems to God? If I did would that look like I was being discontent? No, not at all as a matter of fact our Father wants us to lay our problems at His feet.
Psalms 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
I Peter 5:7 Cast all your cares upon him; for he careth for you.
Psalms 68:19 Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day;he is the God who saves us.
Here we clearly have the Lord’s people bringing their problems before their God. The key here is that once I lay my burden down I would be a fool to pick it up again. I have laid it at the feet of Jesus and He is now the one who will carry it each and every day. Thus I can rest in the contentment of my Lord.
Is this life full of troubles? Yes, but that does not trouble me for I have a refuge in the storm, “a very present help in time of trouble, therefore I will; not fear.”
Anchor In The Storm 