It’s hard to find peace, joy, and contentment when our faith is under attack, our nation seems to be changing at warp speed, evil is called good, and good evil. While we have reasons for concern, could our discouragement and lack of contentment point to something deeper?

Today’s Readings:

1 Chronicles 17 & 18
Psalm 78.17-25
Proverbs 19.25-26
Acts 8.1-25

Searching for Peace, Joy & Contentment in a Broken World

Psalm 78.17-25:

Finding Satisfaction & Contentment in Him

In the first few verses of Psalm 78, the psalmist says, “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching (v. 1) … tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done (v. 4) … that the next generation might know them (v. 6) … so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments (v. 7).

The psalmist goes on in the verses that follow to recount God’s works on behalf of His people and their repeated rebellion in spite of it. I talked more about these verses a couple of days ago in “Do Your Kids Know Your Testimony? … & Why They Should.”

Manna Again!

I don’t know about you but it’s hard not to have some compassion for the Israelites. They had been slaves in Egypt, were now living in the desert, sometimes went without water, and were now eating manna morning, noon, and night.

But God was angry with them “because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.” They did not trust that God was able to take care of them, work through their circumstances and use them for good.

We, too, can be tempted to look around and say, “Why aren’t things better?” “If only our nation was like this, life would be so much better.” Or “If only we got back to some level of morality, then things would be better.” “If only things in my family were different.” Or whatever “if only” you yearn for.

When life seems hard or unfair, especially when it goes on for an extended time, it can be challenging to trust God and be content. Often it’s because we’re looking to the world for what only God can provide.

But before I finish my thoughts on this subject, I want to jump to our New Testament passage.

Acts 8.1-25:

Before He Was Called Paul

In this and the previous chapter, we meet Saul, soon to become Paul, the great Apostle. But right now he is a very different person.

In verse one we read that he consented to Stephen’s death. Stephen was the first martyr of the church. He was stoned to death for preaching the gospel.

And Saul was not just an innocent bystander, verse 3 says:

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

His treatment of Christians was so bad that after his conversion many had to be convinced that it was genuine before they would trust him. And Paul was not alone in his persecution of believers.

God Uses All Things for Good

These new Christians were beaten, dragged from their homes, and imprisoned. As time went on, others were crucified, tortured to death, burned alive, and fed to wild animals for entertainment.

But as Paul would later write in Romans 8.28, God promises to cause all things to work together for good in the lives of His people. We see a powerful example in Acts 8. Look at what verse 1 says about the persecution they experienced:

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Verses 4-8:

⁴ Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. ⁵ Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. ⁶ And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. ⁷ For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. ⁸ So there was much joy in that city.

Satan tried to destroy the church by using the misguided zeal of men like Saul, but it only served to spread the gospel further.

Trials & Persecution Today

Even today, people around the world suffer for their faith in Christ. Missionary friends tell us in some countries, conversion leads to the loss of family and jobs, destruction of property, and even physical attacks.

Yet, many who come to Christ find peace, joy, and contentment in the midst of it all.

What about us? How can we find those things in the midst of our tests, trials, disappointments, and discouragement? How can we keep the proper perspective as we look around us?

Contentment in His Steadfast Love

In Psalm 90.14 the psalmist prayed:

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days (ESV).

As believers, we need to remember that true contentment can only be found in God’s steadfast love. But if we look to the world for peace and contentment, we will be profoundly disappointed.

Contentment for Unbelievers

But for unbelievers, it’s a completely different story. It’s impossible to find contentment in Christ when you don’t know Him. And because we were created for a relationship with Him in which we bring Him glory (Is. 43.7), we will never find genuine satisfaction apart from that relationship.

Instead, people try to find it in a multitude of other things like financial gain, fame, success, or accomplishments. They try to fill the void with drugs, alcohol, relationships, and possessions. Or they try sex with a different partner, sometimes of the opposite sex or sometimes the same sex. And when unwanted pregnancies result, they want the right to abortion at any time. They may decide they are a woman trapped in a man’s body or vice versa. And each step of the way, they demand more rights, more freedoms, and claim more ways that society and the world owe them. But it will never be enough. The very rights and freedoms they demand only bring more bondage, more anger, and more bitterness.

He Is Enough

Yet the forgiveness and grace God offers set us free from the need to acquire or accomplish more. They set us free to forgive others and quit seeing ourselves as helpless victims. When we realize that the hardships we experience are intended to drive us to God and we understand that all the peace, all the acceptance, and all the love we could ever need are found in Christ, it sets us free to quit demanding those things from others.

When we turn to Him in faith and repentance, we discover that He is enough. But doing so means turning from our old ways of living and trusting that living His way is the way that will ultimately lead to peace, joy, contentment, and freedom … the only way.

Today’s Other Readings:

1 Chronicles 17 & 18:

His Hand Holds the Future

The chronicler continues to recount the story of David’s reign. In today’s reading, he emphasizes God’s promise to David that his son would sit on the throne after him. It had a near application in Solomon and a messianic application, as well.

Notice David’s response to all of this in chapter 17:

16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said. “Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O LORD God. 18 What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19 O LORD, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

David understood that none of this was because of something great in him but because of the heart of God for His people. I don’t know if David fully understood all that the prophecy meant in its future application, but he was humbled by what he did understand.

Looking back, we know that God desired to send a Savior, His Son Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for all who would believe. He sovereignly chose David and his lineage and He would continue to sovereignly protect the messianic line and bring it to pass. God doesn’t just predict the future. The future is completely in His hands.

Proverbs 19.25-26:

Taking Criticism to Heart

Criticism can be harsh and hurtful. Even when it’s well-intended, it can be hard to take. Yet, how we react when criticized says a lot about our trust in God and our ability to grow and learn.

Rebuke one who has understanding, and he will discern knowledge (v. 25b).

This verse reminds us that a wise person takes criticism to heart and gets wiser still. A fool, on the other hand, refuses to learn from it.

Even when criticism is mean-spirited or undeserved, we should receive it humbly, take it to the Lord, and ask Him if there is even a nugget of truth in it. And if God allows criticism to come our way, we can trust Him to use it for good in our lives.

What about You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:

How do you respond to criticism? Do you take it to heart? Do you ask the Lord to show you if there is even a nugget of truth in it? Even unfair criticism can be taken to the Lord in prayer and can help us remain humble and grow in self-control and trust in Him.

Do you trust God to use all things for good in your life? And are you learning to find your peace, joy, and contentment in Christ?

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of godly friends, how history is “His-story,” Christians and alcohol, and about the foolishness of arguing.

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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.