How to Find Contentment in These Times of Trouble

When we find ourselves in circumstances we can’t control, how should we respond?

Over the last four years, we’ve seen dementia in a sitting president continually put our country at risk, his feckless vice president presiding over a disastrous election campaign, the twice attempted assassination of a former president, retail store closings, AI-driven layoffs, incompetent (even hateful) hurricane response, rampant inflation in rents and insurance, the influx of foreign-born criminal gangs, war in the Mideast, New Year’s terror attacks, the sexual sins of once trusted pastors, and the reported deaths of friends and loved ones from vaccine injuries.

Add to that worries about family, relationships, and jobs… stress has become a big part of everyday life.

It seems like the whole world has gone mad…

As Christians, when we find ourselves in circumstances we can’t control… how should we respond?

In an ideal world, anxiety would not exist… but it doesn't necessarily go away by simply calling it a sin and spiritualizing away the problem.

Popular self-help books filled with feel-good platitudes, yoga, or self-prescribed drugs won’t help either...

God is in control of everything. Our sovereign God has placed us on the earth at this time and place and in these times of trouble. Since He knows the details of our lives (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7), we can trust Him to help us get through tough times. Let us encourage each other with Paul’s words…

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Fixing our eyes upon Jesus will lead to contentment and peace of mind. Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will give us peace if our minds and hearts are focused on Him.

Contentment can only come as a result of prayer…

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us this…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”

Consider the story of Jesus in a boat with His disciples during a violent storm found in Matthew 8:23-27…

 “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

The Apostle Paul said it best with…

11 Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Take a personal inventory…

What thoughts, behaviors, and habits are destroying your peace and contentment during these turbulent times? How often do you lift them up to God in prayer?

Only when we depend on Christ and place our faith in Him can we have true contentment… anything else is fleeting.

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