Godliness Lives With Contentment
Philippians 4:10-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Paul says he has resolved that "in whatever state" he is in "to be content." That means if God has placed you in Texas, be content. The word state can also apply to your condition in which you find yourself. There is a theology of praise at work here. The state of contentment starts with a recognition of the sovereignty of God. He has placed you exactly where he meant for you to be. Only he can change the circumstances and the length of time that you are there. The devil may attack your position, your purpose, your praise, and even your divine assignment but only through the permission of the Father for a purpose and a set time duration. His "time is short" by the command of the Lord according to Revelation 12:12. I can praise God that I tore up my house this morning to fix it and make it so much better. But I also thank him that it was not a toddler that woke up at five o'clock this morning and did so.
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
The second part of contentment begins with praising God. Romans 2:29 links the changed heart with the act giving and receiving of praise from God. Psalm 22:3 says "God inhabits the [praises] of his people." The act of praising God invites him into your situation and changes the heart of the matter. Contentment occurs when he is there amid the situation. He is there in the middle of your mess. He is there in the heart of your brokenness. He sits amidst your pain. He sits in your suffering. See, Daniel and his friends were thrown into the fiery furnace at the whim of man in Daniel 3:19-27. The earthly king asked, "Did you not see the fourth man walking in the furnace with them?" Yet the king could not count because he only threw in three. They had a ghost problem. They took out three men from the fire but no one was burned. They were bound but had been set free. The king's response is my equivalent of, 'but God, do I not live by myself? How do I then have all this happen?' The supernatural happened when God was amid the situation. See, he came not only to rescue his children but also to walk with them through it. May I suggest that your trials and hurt and pain are nothing but praise to God. Revelation 6:9-10 refers to the souls under the altar who had been slain as they cry out for justice. The praises and prayers of the saints were also offered to God upon that altar in Revelation 8:3. These motivate God to act to judge the world. Not only that but the angels filled the censors with fire and smoke from the same altar upon which they were offered. They use this to condemn the world by the decree of God. A textual reference of the verse preceding sets the stage for Paul's feelings of contentment. Verse ten which comes before verse eleven says that he praised God.
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 this through him who gives me strength.
See, Paul was not revered by all men or living in a palace. He was in prison on house arrest by Rome at this point; he had been hunted by his own people for his preaching of Jesus Christ crucified and risen again as the Messiah of Israel. Yet he could say that because of Christ he was content. These verses highlight the apostle's need. He was imprisoned and had nothing but written communication, at this point, with the churches. He certainly had physical and mental needs. His spiritual needs had been met by the presence of the God who joined him in his circumstances. "An angel of the" Lord "stood by me this night" in Acts 27:23. Whether you see them or not, the angels of the Lord always stand by his people according to Psalm 104:4. These angels do not behave like those of Mr. Smith, the founder of a famous cult, who saw the angel once and never again. Because the angel only appeared once to him, this suggests that something had happened to the one who bore him the message. God stands always by his people to deliver them in Psalm 34:17. In your condition, wherever you are, praise God and be content.