If you do not feel that you are exactly where God wants you, then you probably need to decide from whence comes the discontentment. God is not the author of confusion. Not knowing where the discontentment comes from often will keep us from being effective in other areas that have nothing to do with our source of unhappiness. It is like a debilitating tiredness. It will keep us lethargic in nearly all areas until we identify the source.
God seems to take glee in those who make the best of their circumstances. For some reason, he tests and tries his children. Take Joseph for example. He was thrown in a well by his own brothers and then sold as a slave and then falsely imprisoned. Crazy thing is, his story is remembered as a great success story that an almighty God left for us. Of course we will have dark and uncertain times; we most certainly will have victory as well.
Our prosperity, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with other people. God has full control of this.
Our peace, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with people. God controls this.
Our happiness, joy, contentment, fulfillment, and disposition all have nothing to do with people.
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11 "...for I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances."
Relax. God has this.
Do you have God? Do you know God? You may have heard of another scripture in Philippians that Paul states ..."that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection..." Great scripture, right? Read on: "...and the fellowship of his sufferings, being like Him in his death." Wow, pretty serious, I like the first half better!
God is looking for, and developing, men and women who will do his will without complaint. This is not possible without spending a considerable amount of time with Him. Remember the bumper sticker "know God know peace. No God, no peace"?
We need to spend some time on the phrase "know God", because God is often getting the blame for stuff about which He was not even consulted. Something in me this morning wants to say Wake Up! It is time for many of us to quit being soft and lost in our past hurts and failures. Move on. Many of us have the knowledge and grace already - but we are still discontent.
I am reminded of king David in the Psalms. In some he is crying out to God in great anguish and pain. He talks about the crushing blows of life and that his enemies are closing in on him and that he is afraid.
King david afraid.
Then I read in another psalm later on about his overwhelming joy and praise for that great God that has delivered him from his fears and his enemies. Sound familiar? Hopefully it does or it will.
Are you exactly where God wants you? Do you spend considerable time with Him? Is it possible to know anyone with whom you spend little time?
