Greater Than Where We Are

You know when God wants to teach you something and you see it over and over again?  He lets you hear it on the radio, read it in your devotional, see it in a blog article, or hear others speaking about it at church.  Well that is what has happened with me recently (although God seems to do this quite often!).  God has been bringing some verses in Psalm 73 to the forefront of my mind quite regularly lately, and teaching me about contentment.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. ~ Psalm 73:25-28

These verses show that unless we view God as so supremely valuable, we will be as those "far from [God who] perish" (Psalm 73:27).  One way that we can see God in this way--chiefly esteemed above all else--is to be content in who He is, who we are, and where we are.

God is a good Father!

The apostle Paul teaches that "godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment" (1 Timothy 6:6) and that he "learned to be content in whatever circumstances [in he found himself]" (Philippians 4:11).  Our situations need not utterly bring us low if we know who God is.  He is a good Father who delights to give good gifts to His children (James 1:17, Matthew 7:7-11)!  "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

We are merely clay

To be content, not only must we know who God is, but we must also remember who we are.  When placed in circumstances we do not appreciate or desire, it is necessary to look back on Scripture which reminds us that we are merely created and not the Creator:

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

~ Jeremiah 18:1-6 (emphases added)

God is the Potter.  We are but clay.  He can mold and shape us as He pleases.  He is the Creator, and thus can He not do what He pleases with each one of us?  How can I talk back to Him and question why He has placed me in a certain location or situation?  Yes, He is gracious and patient, and often allows us to raise questions, but there is a danger in questioning God with the wrong motives.  For example, am I questioning God because I am struggling with fear, but the general direction of my heart is to follow Him?  Or am I simply wanting to avoid having to obey God (which is actually disobedience) when my intent really isn't to do what He said at all?

What is not the focus?

It is not our possessions, circumstances, acquaintances, nor the places in which we are that determine our happiness.  Again, Paul has discussed this topic at great length in 1 Timothy 6: "we have brought nothing into the world" (vs. 7), "if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content" (vs. 8), "those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare" (vs. 9), "the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil" (vs. 10).  It is clear that stuff will never bring happiness nor contentment; in fact, loving possessions is very dangerous and can cause our hearts to turn away from God.  "Some by longing for [money] have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10).

I believe that this is why Jesus has told us "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  What we constantly look forward to and focus on will have a pull on our hearts, whether possessions, people, or places pulling us away from Jesus, or time in the Word, prayer, and service to God, things which draw us ever closer to Him.

I have also been learning in the last while that if I am not content where God has placed me now, then I will never be content later.  The grass really never is greener on the other side.  The pull to have greater, better, or more, will eventually become an obsession.  Our desires may not even be for bad things, but if they come between us and Jesus, then they are idols in our lives, and must be removed from that pedestal.

I mistakenly came across this sermon clip by John Piper, and initially thought the topic would be about examining my life to see if I am of the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), which is necessary for every Christian.  Instead, however, the message preached by Pastor John is one of contentment.

Our Treasure

Just as sheep are incredibly forgetful animals, I too am extremely forgetful and often do not remember the goodness of God.  My circumstances get so big and cloud my vision.  Or I desire too greatly to find my satisfaction in people other than Jesus.  Love for Jesus just doesn't seem all that great anymore in light of what I think I am missing.  Now I know I'm not the only one who struggles with #fomo (:  This quote from C.S. Lewis explains that in Christ, there actually is such joy and satisfaction, but we can only see what is directly in front of us, and it's not really all that great.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” ~ C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

As I focus on what I do not have, the mountain in front of me ever grows larger.  Yet as soon as I look beyond myself and my circumstances to Jesus, I can see that my God is all that I need!  God is all-powerful, all-seeing, all-encompassing, and one of His names, describing an aspect of His character, is Jehovah-raah (the Lord our Shepherd).

Psalm 23 is something I memorized at the age of 5 years old, but how quickly I forget it in times of difficulty.  Yet because the Lord is my Shepherd, because He is the Potter, because He is a good Father, then I can confidently say, "I shall not want".  Neither good nor bad circumstances ought to distract or dismay us, because He has promised to be with us through it all.  And as we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look fully in His wonderful face, the things of earth truly do grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus).

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.