The Source of Our Contentment

“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’

But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.’” (I Samuel 8:4-8 NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Philippians that he had learned the secret of being content (Philippians 4:12-13).  I think most of us are still in the dark. We spend a lot of time wishing and longing for what we do not have.  We see friends in a romantic relationship and we become discontent with our singleness and want someone of our own.  We look into the mirror and don’t like what we see.  We wish we had a different body where the parts are better proportioned—more like the models on the magazine covers or the celebrities on television.  We look at others and think their lives are so much better than our own.  In our discontentment, we reject what we have been given and long for something we think is better.  

For centuries, Israel had God as their leader and King.  He led them out of slavery in Egypt and promised to lead them into their own land, a land full of “milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:17) But they had a history of being discontent with their present situation.  When they were enslaved in Egypt, they cried out for relief.  Soon after Moses led them out of Egypt, they were complaining about the poor conditions and wanting to go back there.  And they struggled with discontentment up through the time of the prophet Samuel, centuries later.  They finally reached a point of tiring of their uniqueness among the nations, one without a human king.  They wanted to be like all the others.

I think we can relate to the Israelites and, perhaps, don’t see this as much of a problem.  It is almost second nature to want what others have.  Yet, the Lord says to Samuel something very telling.  In their desire to be like other nations, Israel was rejecting God.  Have you ever thought of your discontentment with your life as rejecting the Lord?  If God is sovereign, then your life—the way you look and your current circumstances—is controlled by Him.  He has created and/or has allowed whatever you have and experience.  By becoming discontent, you are rejecting the Lord as your source of meaning and validation, just as the Israelites did.

Today, you may not have what others have, but what you do have is enough. For God is your Creator and Sustainer.  He is your source of contentment.  In Him you have all you need even if you don’t have everything you want.

© Jim Musser 2013