“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.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

Life has many ups and downs throughout the times of our lives. There are times when our lives seem to hum along as things are going very well. Then we have times when nothing goes right, and we face difficulty after difficulty. Whether things are going well or things are filled with trials, how do we find some semblance of contentment in life? This is because when things are going well, we are not content because we want more. When life is bringing challenges and trials, we just want them over.

The Apostle Paul makes an interesting statement when he says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11b) In his life before he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he was a very ambitious Pharisee. He was anything but content as he strived to succeed.  In this ambition, he was on the Damascus Road with “letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:2) It is at this point everything in life changed for him. Christ had come in and had begun to teach him. “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.” (Galatians 1:15-16) Through his encounter with Jesus, he would begin to learn that Jesus Christ would give him everything he needs in all circumstances. “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Learning to be content comes as we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus provides for us everything we need to face whatever comes our way. Our desire changes as we come to know Jesus Christ in a personal and life-changing way. “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11) As we grow in this relationship, He gives us peace in the circumstances of life as we learn to pray to Him about everything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Jesus set the example for us as He prepared to go to the cross. He prayed to His Father about what was facing Him. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. . .. My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matthew 26:39, 42) In the midst of the crises on the cross, Jesus in His contentment on the cross as He took our sins and died, prayed “’Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46) Then in the power of God, He rose from the death and now offers us life as He comes into our lives by faith. With Him in our lives, we can be content whatever we face because He will give us His strength.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block