The book of Psalms is filled with admonitions to “come to the Lord with thanksgiving” and to “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good”. The bible never lacked instructions for us to express our gratitude to the Father.
However, there are times when gratitude is our first reaction to situations we are in. It’s difficult to be grateful when our expectations are not met.How then can we be thankful when life seems difficult?
KEYWORD: Contentment
Paul has one thing to say about this:
“In ALL SITUATIONS I have learned to be content.”
It did not come naturally for Paul to be content; He learned it. He has adapted the habit of not letting the outward circumstances affect His internal attitude. In other words, being content is a state of the heart.
David has this one thing to say:
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.” -Psalm 27:4-5
The status of our “inner man” predicts whether our initial reaction is to trust that God knows what He is doing or to complain that things are not going as planned.
For this reason,our goal to know Jesus enough to trust Him in all the things that are happening in our lives. We know that the “Pilot” has enough knowledge to navigate through the skies and bring us safe and sound to our destination.
Knowing Jesus intimately makes us content. Why? Because He satisfies. He is the Living Water. Those who drink from Him will never thirst again.