My wife and I have a lot of school debt (I say it’s “hers” too because we share it, but it’s mine). I teach at a middle school, and work another job to make ends meet. We’re trying to sell our house; we’re trying to pay off all our debt. It’s hard. With a teaching salary, it will be many, many years before we’re completely out from under our debtors.

And today I had the strangest thought: I’m content.

There’s only one source for this contentment, and that’s the LORD. Don’t get me wrong, this was a shock to me today because often that peaceful contentment is supplanted with various other feelings: anxiety, fear, and even despair.

This is why I am so confident the LORD is touching me today. We’re praying daily that he would give us discernment especially with regard to our finances. Today he’s saying, “I’m on it. I’ve been on it. I’ll be on it.” One way he’s expressing this to me is by bringing to mind two characters from Scripture: David and Paul. The lives of both David and Paul teach us valuable lessons about being content – even when all that is around us is screaming, “You have no reason to be content!”

David

We know the basic story of David: he was a shepherd-boy who loved God, he slayed Goliath, he was the first king of the tribe of Judah, and a prophet-psalmist who pointed to the coming of the last King of Judah (and all things).

However, I want to focus on Psalm 63 where the contentment of David is particularly poignant.

It’s important we start with the subtitle: A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

Generally, it’s easy for us to look at the whole picture with regard to different biblical characters and say about their situation, "well it all works out, doesn’t it?" I know I say that about the disciples, especially Peter and his “weak” faith. We do the same thing with David when he’s waiting to be king – or, more accurately, when he’s running for his life, trying not to kill Saul.

This is where we find David when he composes the 63rd Psalm – in the Desert of Judah fleeing “They who seek my life…” It’s hard to say whether this Psalm came before or after David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but either way David is striving, over all, to please his God. This is true of anyone who thirsts for God, whose body longs for God – especially in the face of death or trial. It’s clear that to David the Lord is more important than any circumstance, or his future as king.

This fact is even more striking when we remember that David was promised the throne by God himself, and surely many of his followers reminded him of this. Shouldn’t David be complaining to God, asking him when his turn would come, when his enemies would cease to pursue him? (Indeed, David does pray this way in other Psalms. However, this moment seems especially primed for such a prayer – yet, this is not what we get.)

Instead, David says, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” And, “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.” Again, most powerfully, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” Of course, the watches of the night were set to look for Saul and his army, but David was thinking of God.

David’s contentment came from the unchanging love of God, as should ours.

Paul

Just like David, Paul found abundant life in the LORD: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1.21).

Many of us know Paul’s story too; we first hear of him as Saul, the critic-persecutor of the Church, even murderer of Christians, who became one of the “sent ones” of the Christ he once denied.

And one has only to read more in Philippians to see Paul had every religious reason to rely on Judaism and its system rather than God (see 3.4-6). He too must have had an encounter with the living God, otherwise his flesh and his pride would have kept him from true contentment.

Paul’s encounter with Jesus opened his eyes to the truth, thus allowing him to find peace in God alone. If we further examine Paul’s letter to the Philippians, his circumstances, in this case his “chains,” are more than a reason to search God out – they are a reason for him to rejoice (see 1.12-14)! Because, you see, Paul has found “the secret of being content in any and every situation,” that is, remembering where our citizenship is (heaven), and who is our righteousness. If we are to remember these things, we need to fix our eyes on Christ (see 3.9 & 20 and 4.12).

Chains or no chains, Paul loved Christ more than himself.

Where is your contentment?

Today, as I said, the Lord is filling me with him and his contentment. Tomorrow may be different. However, I’m holding on to the promise that if I fully abide in him, the peace that defies understanding will rule my heart. My financial debts will not hold me back from finding all I need in Christ. Because after all, if you can’t be content in the Lord now, will you be content in him when your debt is gone?

Delight in the Lord and he will satisfy you with himself! This is my prayer for us all, that we would see our lives with the perspective of Christ. In this way, we will notice that the passing circumstances are only flames burning away the dross of our hearts, purifying us so we will love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Be content!

[I write on my blog, Reflection on things fantastic as Man O' Clay; I'm a teacher by day, a father and husband by night, and a child of Christ always.]