Paul shares with us the secret to contentment in Philippians 4:11-13. Paul said that whatever his circumstances he had learned to be content. How did he do this? Was he not paying attention? Was he in self-denial? What was his secret?
I believe that Paul saw more than just the outward circumstances. I think he saw through the circumstances. Paul knew that God was sovereign, that He was in control. He knew that he could trust Him. He knew that God was at work in the midst of even the most trying circumstances to perfect His purposes in his life.
When we look at the circumstances of our lives, what do we see? Some circumstances are good. Some are bad. I’m not implying that everything that happens to you is good. The Scriptures nowhere teach that. But they do teach that God is at work in every situation, good and bad, for our benefit. In other words, He can take even a bad situation and build some good thing into our lives. So, before you label something good or bad, ask yourself a more fundamental question. Ask yourself what God is doing in the circumstance. Ask yourself what God is trying to teach you through the circumstance. The reality is God is truly at work in all circumstances.
So many things are out of our control. But how we respond to those things is in our control. We can choose to sing the blues, or we can choose to trust God. The choice is ours. We do not have to let our circumstances control us. God is at work in each and every circumstance for our good and His glory. So look at the changing circumstances of your life and ask what is He teaching you through them.
