Contentment – God’s Assurance
Observing my grandchildren is one of life’s great delights. One of the things I have noticed is the sense of contentment they have that comes from the assurance their father gives them. Their faces beam when they snuggle in their dad’s arms or play games with him, they enjoy him tucking them into bed, and they laugh joyously when he is acting out the characters in the books he reads to them. As he engages them in relationship, he demonstrates his commitment to them. He invites them to enjoy him as their father and continuously reveals his love, commitment, faithfulness, and reliability to them. They know him and are confident in his character. In a nutshell, he provides them with a deep sense of assurance and that allows them to be content. It is a picture of the assurance our heavenly Father gives us that leads us to contentment.
As we stand on the shores of life, we see a continuously changing landscape that breeds a level of insecurity. So many cultural shifts surge in with the tides of time, and we are never quite sure what will wash up on the shifting sands of our world. How do anchor ourselves and enjoy the continuing sense of contentment we seek when we live with such agitation and instability whirling around us relentlessly? We need the assurance of a Father who is unchanging, who is predictable, who is exactly who He reveals Himself to be, and who is completely capable of keeping us buoyant in these turbulent times. We need the assurance of the one and only perfect Father and as we look into the light of His authentic face, we can be content.
Psalm 46 is gives us an assuring revelation of who God is and what He does to secure His people, enabling them to be content in all circumstances. This Psalm speaks of the assurance God gives His children. He declares that He is ever-present, our refuge, and our strength. The waters of attack can roar and foam all around us. The foundations our our society and earth can be crumbling and the mountains of influence in our culture can crack. Life as we know it can be smashing and splintering against the rocks, but our Father whispers to us “fear not . . . be still and know that I am God”. To know Him is to be absolutely sure of Him and not by any ability we muster up to know Him, but because He has shown us His character and His character is perfect. What a Father and what an assurance that allows us to engage the Father’s heart, remaining sure of the Father we know, the Father who is in control and the Father who vows to keep us safe. Right there, in the assurance of our Father we can grow in contentment.
These words of God are not some kind of magical message in a bottle that mysteriously and randomly washed up on the shore at a point in time. They are the living, breathing and resounding words of God that He intentionally spoke to reveal Himself to humanity. As we take hold of God’s words we will know the transformation of a life that was once planted in the grounds of a shaky world to a life where our feet are planted in the words of God’s truth. God’s truthful words of assurance hold us tightly and keep us content.
Friends, as you ponder and experience the assurance God our Father gives us, may you know Him as your perfect Father as your sense of Christian contentment grows in response to this reality.
Blessings
Tina