How can we find contentment?
Our human nature is rarely happy with what we have. We are like the toddler who sees something and as he reaches out for it and screams, "Mine!" It is cute in a toddler but can lead to misery as an adult. Does the Bible teach how to be content? It does, and you may already know the passage."The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1
THE LORD
The first two words of this verse are the most important ones. They begin this psalm with a view of God which is a good attitude for everything we do.
A "lord" has the authority to rule, and he has the highest status and power over those in submission to him. When you call God your Lord, then you have made the most serious declaration you can make.
A SHEPHERD
We need a shepherd...
- The shepherd provides by making sure that the sheep have food and water.
- The shepherd guides the sheep to safe pasture and brings them to freshwaters.
- The shepherd leads the sheep. They follow him to those safe places. He goes ahead to find the best and safest way.
- The shepherd shelters the sheep by protecting them from dangers.
- The shepherd watches the sheep not only as a guard but out of love for them.
- The shepherd never leaves the sheep; without his presence, they are vulnerable to attack and injury.
People recite this famous verse of poetic scripture and think they are covered by some universal grace. The truth is you must personally make the Lord your shepherd. God is love, so He will not force himself on you since that would not be loving. He waits for you to come to Him and choose Him. Until you do, you cannot honestly say that the Lord is your shepherd.
If you have invited God into your life (to understand more about this, see the link above for the Gospel), then God is your shepherd, and He does all these things for you. Your needs and wants are in His care.
If your needs and wants are in the care and custody of the Almighty Creator of the Universe, who is also the Lord of all Heaven and Earth and Lord of all time, then you can be confident that you have enough, because as your Lord, He knows your needs and He knows what is best for you.
YOU LACK NOTHING
You may feel something is missing, but because the Lord is your shepherd, you lack nothing.
Because He is All-Wise, He knows what is best for you and will either give it or withhold it.
Because He is All-Love, what He gives is given out of love, and what He withholds is withheld out of love.
The person who wrote the 23rd Psalm was content not because he has a lot of stuff, or a full dinner plate or a beautiful house (indeed he may have been sleeping in the open and eating roots), but his contentment came by viewing the Lord's provision as all he needed.
We should be content because God is watching over us. He is our shepherd.
