Some of the most profound truths of Scripture are given to us quite clearly. The difficulty is not that it is a coded message we can’t cipher. The issue is often that it is not the answer we want to hear. We often want God to show us what job to take, relationship to begin, or city to move to. Which of the circumstances is God’s will for our lives.
But the Bible says, “This is God’s will for your life: your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). That means God’s will is that we grow and learn to walk in His ways, no matter our circumstances.
His will is plainly stated. Which fits directly with this instruction from Philippians 4 – contentment is something to be learned. Something to be chosen.
All of us want contentment, the inner peace that comes from having our needs met. Paul tells us how to do this. We are capable of having contentment in any circumstance through God’s strength. Contentment is about perspective. It is not about a perfect alignment of circumstances.
This is not really the answer we naturally seek. But it is a supernatural reality. When we insist God answer our questions the way we desire, we are swimming against the stream and adding to our confusion. On the other hand, if we take God at his word and see every circumstance as an opportunity we can steward (via God’s strength in us), we can find the contentment we are searching for.
God’s perspective helps us to transform our circumstances – to live above them rather than under them. We have all experienced some measure of plenty and some measure of want. The key to a content life is not to figure out how to get more plenty and less want. It is to learn how both can be stewarded toward The Kingdom of Heaven.