Contentment in God's Hand

Contentment in God’s Hand

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) God, use what I have studied and strive for to encourage these women to desire You. May they listen to You and not my voice. Amen.

We are here today to bless and encourage T and her family in honor of the newest blessing God has seen fit to give them: Baby. Not yet 5 weeks old, she is dependent upon her mother for everything. She will not survive without the care, feeding and love of her mama. She is helpless. She came into this world, as all of us did, with nothing. We leave this world in the same way. I Timothy 6:7 says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Seeing her helplessness is a good reminder for God’s children, to consider our dependency on our Father. He sustains us completely but do we choose to acknowledge this? Do we give Him the credit? To live knowing this in a real way? Does knowing this shape our lives and who we are?

I used to spend much time pondering how I could know the will of God. For years I thought the “will of God” was this mysterious and elusive ideal that we would know in Heaven someday. Over the past year and a half, God graciously has begun to show me how to know His will -- here in this life. It is really not very mysterious at all. It’s simple. I read my Bible. Really read it - to learn and to understand.

While reading, I found a few verses that directly told me God’s will. I Thessalonians 4:2-3 God tells us, “For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus Christ. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, the ye should abstain from fornication.” So just obey that command for my marriage and I will be in the will of God? Yes.

Ephesians 5 says, “Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” How do I do that? Well, the next couple of verses say not to be drunk, to sing songs, to be melodious to God and to give thanks always for all things.

I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” So if I do not give thanks in everything, then I am not in the will of God? Correct. Colossians 3:17 says that “whatever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” This is a command.

There are commands to not murder, not steal and not fornicate that I must obey. Just as to be thankful for everything is a command. Thankfulness is a harder command. This one involves my heart deciding to govern my thoughts. But unless Christ first changes my dead and stony heart there is no way I even want to consider thankfulness because I love darkness and evil rather than light and anything good. When He gave life to my dead soul, the Holy Spirit began to cause me to seek Him. Seeking Him and being thankful is something that I have to continually work on, intentionally pursue. I MUST – not an option, be thankful to my Creator that I am who I am. I MUST be thankful to be living here on this street. I must be thankful for my husband, for who he is and what he does and how he loves me. I must praise God daily for this man. Of course I must be thankful for the resources to have plenty to eat and the shelter that I have. This is being content. Contentment is thankfulness. It is not wanting things to be different. If I wish something to be different than it is, I am not being thankful. Even if I wish there was a big oak tree in my front yard or wish the day was less cloudy or less hot….this is not practicing the attitude of thankfulness.

This is humbling. To not be able to figure it all out and have the plan is a very hard place for me to be. To be thankful for something that seems to be not quite right, not according to way I knew God would work things out for me.

A couple weeks ago I started walking my friend's dog, Titus. That first day, he didn’t like that I was going to put him on leash. He thrashed around biting and screaming and writhing on the ground. I held him down gently but firmly. When he finally realized that I was controlling him and I wasn’t going to eat him, but was going to take him for a walk and be his leader, he surrendered.

I finally quite struggling against God, quit thrashing around trying to do life my way - against God’s plan. I finally realized that I was living in sin because I was not trusting Him. I was not living my life in an attitude of total thankfulness. I could not and cannot do this. It’s impossible………….without my Redeemer. He must change my heart. Only He gives me the strength to resist sin. He mercifully changed and is still changing, my heart and my thoughts to show me that His way is simple: be thankful in everything. When I stopped complaining, stopped trying to change situations to be what I thought was better, I looked to my God. I began realizing peace and relaxation that was new to me. I had not been able to rest. I could take a breath and lean back. Why? Because when I finally looked through thankful, grateful eyes I realized that I was in the palm of God’s hand. My Father gently says to me, “My child. I have grabbed you out of these wide rapids headed for hell and now I hold you and love you and will not leave you. I am your God. Trust Me. I am holding you. If you love me then you will just simply obey my commands. I have selected this life, this husband, these children, this dog, for you. This life that you live is how I shape you and mold you. This is how I am glorified, by your dependency on Me.” (Ps. 56 & Jn. 14 & Mt. 7)

How can I not but fall on my face in reverence and gratitude and awe?! This thankful-grateful-contentment issue seems to be far reaching and foundational. I didn’t obey the command to be thankful in all things. I thought I knew what would be a better way. This was selfish pride. I was only making myself and my family miserable. Who am I to question my circumstance? I realized that I have not been giving God credit and glory because I was not trusting Him. My God knows what I am capable of and will not ask me to do anymore. He provides grace for each particular situation. I just must surrender. Trust. REALLY trust. Not just say it but truly live knowing that God’s hand is beneath me. Just as this baby trusts her mother without thinking about the concept of trust, we must see our own helplessness without God and know/understand how He sustains His children every minute.

I want us to consider this. We are here at a baby shower and yet God has decided that each one of us would come here. I was given this commission to talk to you and to focus our time on our Creator. So please truly think. Don’t focus on my human frailty and inadequacies. Listen to what God is saying in His Word.

Do you KNOW this wonderful dependency on God? Do you know and feel the palm of His hand under you? Are you thankful, trusting God for the place, situation, life that He has given you? The moment God saves His child, he/she is placed in His hand. And in this Hand you WILL know why and how to be content. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Beg God for the faith to believe and to KNOW Him and this will lead you to gratefulness.

God, give us hearts of thankfulness. Cause our hearts to seek you. May all of our words and thoughts only reflect our incredible awe of your greatness. In your name and by your strength only I pray. Amen.

The following hymn (Daniel Whittle: 1840-1901) is taken from II Timothy 1:12. It is a beautiful reflection on why I should be thankful.

I know not why God's wondrous grace to me He hath made known,

Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith to me He did impart,

Nor how believing in His Word, 
wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing us of sin,

Revealing Jesus through His Word, creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill may be reserved for me,

Of weary ways or golden days, before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair,

Nor if I walk the vale with Him, or meet Him in the air.

But I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able,

To keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day.