Monday Devotion and Prayer. May 29, 2023
“Peace and Fulfillment in Our Lives”
“The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” -Psalms 34:10
Would you say you’re content? With many things in life, our contentment seems to ebb and flow. At least this has been true in my own life. I’ll think I’m content, and then the Lord shakes things up and removes things, and I quickly find myself wrestling with being content. But, like joy, contentment does not come and go based on our circumstances. Contentment is something that happens despite our circumstances.
When Paul was in prison, he wrote to the church in Philippi, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:11-13
Sometimes the Lord allows us to endure very challenging situations. It could be a number of things. You are in a loveless marriage, your health is declining, your children are struggling, you feel you’ve waited long enough for your ideal career or spouse, or you’ve been praying desperately for a child. In life, we always want something else we don’t have. The key to contentment is getting our eyes off the “one thing” we don’t have and onto the “One thing [i.e., Jesus]” who will always be enough. Of course, it takes a while for our emotions to line up with this truth, but it is true.
Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. “Additionally, the Lord is our portion (Lamentations 3:24). His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). He is our hope (Psalm 62:5). He is our help (Psalm 33:20) and our sustainer (Psalm 54:4). Because we are human, we are prone to selfishness. The more we think about what we don’t have, the more we want what we don’t have. However, the opposite can be true. When we think about how much we have already been given, we find how much more we have.
When we look around, instead of at ourselves and our situations, we will begin to see the needs of others. Someone will always have it better than you, but someone will always have it worse. Find the one who has it worse than you and serve them! It will inevitably get your eyes away from you. If we are to walk like Jesus walked, as it says in 1 John 2:6, we are called to serve and not be served (Matthew 20:28).
Have you ever asked God how you can serve Him? Sometimes we find ourselves so desperate for the one thing we don’t have we lose sight of why we are here. That’s to serve the one who made us and gave us life! God is worthy and so well deserving of everything we have and everything we are. It’s also important to remember that God loves us more than anyone else could. If He is saying “no” this season, it is for your best. 2 Samuel 22:31-32 says, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?”
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for another day of life. Thank You for waking us up. Thank You that despite our circumstances, Your truth anchors us to You, our sure and steady Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Father, we are sorry our eyes have been on our circumstances and what we don’t have instead of on You. God, we are so prone to selfishness. Please help us to lift our eyes to You. Thank You that You don’t withhold any good thing from us (Psalm 84:11).
Lord, I also pray that we would be useful to You and prepared to do any good work (2 Timothy 2:21). Please guide and direct us to where You want us to be. Help our ears to be attentive to what You have to say, and help us to be quick to obey. Lord, we are nothing without You (Galatians 6:3), and we can do nothing apart from You (John 15:5). Please help us to be more like You. Help us to love You and others more because then we are the most filled. We need You. Thank You for being attentive to our prayers. In Your son Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!
