Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV): I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Verse 13 of this passage has been widely used, both in and out of the Church. It has been put on posters, engraved on plaques, memorized, and pulled out whenever an impossible situation faces people. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. A person literally can do everything through God, the one who give us strength.
But in all of this, Paul’s actual context for this statement of faith is frequently lost or obscured. And so this promise is used least of all in the specific context for which it was written. Paul is specifically writing about how he had learned the secret to being content in every situation in which he found himself. It is no great accomplishment to be content if you have a lot: adequate food, adequate drink, adequate income, and enough stuff to make life comfortable. It is another thing to be content with little food, with only water to drink, with little or no income, with no fellowship or friends nearby, and without many comforts that many people consider necessities. Without even the freedom to come and go as you choose. It is the rare person who could be truly content under those circumstances, and even Paul would not have been able to pull it off at earlier stages of his life.
But Paul writes that he has learned the secret of being content in every situation. The secret is: “I can do everything through Him who give me strength.” It is not Paul’s gloomy acceptance of his circumstances that enable him to be content; it is God’s presence giving him the strength to be an overcomer, even in prison. It is not his strength of character or willpower that help him to find contentment, even with no freedom; it is God’s presence giving him the strength to see the opportunities that exist right where he is, and the power to pull them off.
True contentment is in very short supply these days, even in the Church. Yes, God can give strength to do whatever is necessary in a person’s life, even those things that seem impossible from a human standpoint. But one thing that God’s people would benefit from hugely is seeking Him for the ability to be content, and therefore productive for His kingdom, no matter what our circumstances.
Father, forgive us for being less than content, even with all that we do have. That discontentment shifts our focus off of the work of Your kingdom and onto a pursuit of more, a chase after contentment. But real contentment is only possible in vital relationship with You; by living in Your presence, seeing Your face, and experiencing life and strength in the presence and power of Your Spirit. Help us to seek You first as our primary source of contentment; to do the work of Your kingdom as the true measure of a successful life; to set our goals in accordance with Your guidance as the only worthwhile pursuits in our lives. Amen.