“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”
Psalm 16:5-9
Two words are in my business lately: content and contentment.
It started one random Sunday at church when the Holy Spirit decided to speak poignantly to my heart during worship. Here is what I sensed Him saying to me:
Tammie, that desire is not from me but a spirit of discontent.
What?!
A spirit of discontent, Lord? How can this be?
What's wild is, before God gave me some much-needed insight, my desire appeared birthed from what I would call a place of spiritual hunger; a desire to grow. That’s why the Lord’s words to me were so baffling.
But, honestly, the more I thought on it, the more astonished I grew by how right He was. Seeing my situation through the Lord’s lens instead of my own brought amazing revelation. Not only was He right in that particular area, but His wisdom also reached into other areas too. I realized then and there that discontent had robbed me of a whole lot of peace.
What I’ve learned from this specific word from the Lord is sometimes the forces of darkness are very much at work in the shadows of our discontent. Satan’s goal is to derail us and, if he can, even outright rob us, of the abundant life God has for us now by keeping us preoccupied with an abundant life we hope God has for us in the near future.
In thinking how this word might apply to you, perhaps you desire God to do a work in your spouse, and you're sick of waiting. I have friends in your same situation. It's hard. I know. But could God be calling you to contentedness in this season of waiting? Maybe even to quit focusing on them and start working on yourself? It’s a hard word to swallow but, believe you me, in 23-years of marriage to Erin, I’ve taken my fair share of doses.
Or, like others, perhaps you want something in particular so badly you can hardly stand it. But God seems eerily silent when it comes to answering your prayer. That's hard too. I'm so sorry for your ache. But could God be doing a profound work in you that requires a new level of trust? I don’t know if this applies to you specifically, but I do know that’s how God work sometimes.
Or maybe you're like me, where you find yourself always wanting to go somewhere new with God. It’s not a bad thing, obviously. But sometimes God wants us happy right where He has us now. Producing fruit. Not complaining. Content in this season, in this place.
I’d like you to know that right after God spoke to me about my discontent, and I fully surrendered afresh to Him in the area of contentment, He worked a wonder in my soul—instantly!
That's all it took.
I’m still in awe.
