“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6
Contentment in Jesus, is this not what the Psalmist is leading us to? So far we have seen in Psalm 16 that God is our protector. God is all together good, apart from Him I can do nothing. We delight in God and his people. Idols multiply sorrows. God is my all in all.
I’m doing a little survey of my heart right now and if I’m going to be honest, contentment is easy when things are going good; money in the bank, health is good, no inconveniences, everything in working order, but we all know that if we do have moments like that, they won’t last long before something breaks down or someone gets sick, or relationships get broken, or any number of afflictions.
How our heart responds when the going gets tough is a reflection of our level of discontentment. I don’t mean to say that when things are going south that anger or sadness or depression is a sign of discontent, it most certainly is not. Our feelings are our feelings. Jesus felt all these things, but he didn’t let those feelings rule. He walked in obedience and faith in the midst of his trials. The peace that the world talks about is not the peace that God defines. Peace with God is, though we feel the longing, even the ache, we have full conviction that this is not the final word. Our beautiful inheritance is awaiting. Our God reigns.
Contentment is saying, not I, but YOU LORD!
“If I become content by having my desire satisfied, that is only self-love; but when I am contented with the hand of God and am willing to be at His disposal, that comes from my love to God.”
Jeremiah Burroughs – The Rare Jewel of Discontentment
I would argue that discontentment is the root of all sin. I don’t want a little discontentment to take root. Lord help me to find my rest in You no matter the circumstances that come upon me. I’m an heir to the King of Kings!
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
stones from the quarry 