Contentment continued...

Well, God is not done with this lesson yet. I was talking to him about it and wondering how I can stay content while still expecting him to move me to the next place in my life and he gave me an answer.

Thanksgiving - that is the secret to contentment.

If I can learn to thank him for where I am, to find the good there is and the joys he has for me in the place I'm at, I can be content. The recipe, so to speak can be found in the following verse:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:6-7

So if I can be thankful where I am for all the good there is, and then make my petitions known to God, that thankfulness will cause the anxiety and restlessness to depart and pave the way for God's peace to come guard my heart and mind. The result? Contentment.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says:

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Basically, you are not where you are by mistake and God knows exactly where you are so he will meet your needs at the right time. Therefore if nothing else, thank him that he is never late, and that indeed he knows what's best, and just commit your desires to him.

At times like this, beware of the devil's lies, that you are not important to God. That he has forgotten you. That his promises to you are false. Nothing could be further from the truth:

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Isaiah 49:15
"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

Zechariah 2:8
For this is what the LORD Almighty says: ...whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye-

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Psalm 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

Meditate of these words and let them sink deep into your heart. In everything give thanks to the Lord and remember to thank him for remembering you and leading you in the way everlasting.

Enter rest in Jesus Name! Be still and know that he is God!