Learning Contentment
More often than not, our lives do not pan out the way we expect them to. Expectations go unmet, and we are left disappointed. The woman whose chief desire has been to be a mother and wife remains single year after year. That dream of a stable career and a life of comfort is squashed by the reality of living paycheck to paycheck. The loved one you imagined living a long life with has passed away.
Contentment seems like a reachable goal when things are going well, but when expectation after expectation is unmet, it feels impossible. How do we find contentment in the midst of disappointment and suffering?
The apostle Paul knew suffering better than most. Once an instigator of persecution and the cause of much suffering for the Church, he became one who suffered greatly for the sake of Jesus’ name. Paul addresses contentment in suffering in his letter to the church of Philippi, which he wrote while imprisoned in Rome.
Philippians 4:10–13 (ESV):
“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
While in a Roman prison—known for its treacherous conditions—Paul writes that he has learned, in whatever situation he is in, to be content. He claims that he can do all things through the one who gives him strength. Paul makes it clear that his ability to be content is something he has learned and something only made possible through Jesus, the one who strengthens him.
How is contentment possible through Jesus? What is it about the Lord that makes it possible to find contentment in him, regardless of one’s circumstances?
Psalm 23:1 (ESV):
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known psalms, and in it David addresses contentment. Other translations say, “The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing” (NIV), and “The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (NLT). The first phrase in this verse is crucial to our understanding of what it means to be content.
In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Philip Keller makes the point that a sheep’s lot in life is completely dependent on who its shepherd is. A sheep with a bad shepherd is neglected and uncared for, while a sheep with a good shepherd has every need accounted for. The sheep does not choose its shepherd, but who the shepherd is makes all the difference in its livelihood.
Jesus refers to himself in John 10 as the “good shepherd.” He says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Jesus is our good shepherd. Being under his care and lordship is the most restful place to be. We can rest not only because we have a shepherd who takes care of us, but because we have a good shepherd.
When David claims in Psalm 23:1 that the LORD is his shepherd, we can almost imagine him boasting. I imagine him saying, “Guess who my shepherd is? The LORD!” This is a boast-worthy reality because of who the LORD is. If the Lord were all-powerful, all-sovereign, and all-knowing but not good, the reality that the Lord is our shepherd would not be comforting. But because the Lord is all-powerful, all-sovereign, all-knowing, all-good, all-loving, and all-holy, this truth is deeply reassuring.
Contentment can be learned when we practice resting in the reality that the LORD is our shepherd. Because the LORD is our shepherd, we lack nothing. And as our shepherd, the LORD is the one who determines our lot. Psalm 16:5 says, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” The Lord is the one who holds our lot; he determines the exact details of our lives—today, tomorrow, and all of our days.
That being said, the details of our lot are not where contentment is found. Rather, contentment is found in who holds our lot. The first part of Psalm 16:5 says, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup.” When David says this, he is declaring that the Lord is all that he has and all that he needs. When we have him, we have everything.
We can be content in suffering and in abundance because the LORD is our shepherd and because he is good. The one who strengthens us is the one in whom contentment is found. With Jesus, we have everything we need.
“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, ESV).