Our focus verses are Philippians 4:11-12. In the New Living Translation it reads: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it’s with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.”
The Amplified Bible expands a little more on what Paul means when he talks about being content: “Satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted in whatever state I’m in.”
When you hear that, it’s hard not to think, “I wish I would have really grabbed a hold of that earlier in life.” But Paul said it was something he had to learn, and we love that the text points that out. He said, “I have learned.” It’s not something that happens instantaneously. It’s not going to happen the first time we read that verse. We believe God is going to give us the strength to do it, but it’s something we learn over time.
Paul’s Secret to Contentment
It’s important to explore the background when Paul says some of the things he does. He was in prison at the time of writing. And interestingly, according to the Grace and Truth Study Bible, Paul was responsible for paying for a lot of his own accommodations in prison, (which is something I had never heard before.)
He was thanking the Philippians for sending him gifts and money to help him. So it was interesting that he wasn’t making a comparison between living a life of freedom and living in prison. He was just in a situation where things could go from really bad to really worse, and he was letting them know that it’s okay, because he had learned to be content whatever situation he was in.
A Picture of Contentment in a Difficult Season
When we look for someone we can maybe relate to—someone who went through difficult circumstances but displayed that contentment—Abigail is a wonderful example. If you haven’t read her story, you can find it here in 1 Samuel 25. She’s also mentioned again in 1 Samuel 30.
Abigail was married to a very difficult man. Scripture describes him as “crude and mean in all his dealings.” We can assume those characteristics applied to his relationship with Abigail as well. She was accustomed to taking care of the home and running interference for Nabal—with his servants, probably with their social circle—because of who he was. The servants trusted her. They knew who to come to when they needed help.
When they saw that David was going to wipe out the whole group of them because of Nabal’s offense, it was Abigail they ran to. She kicked into action. She went and fed David and his men, which was one of the biggest problems they were having. And David even thanked her for preventing him from doing something terribly wrong.
Abigail was living a very difficult life, but she navigated it with wisdom. The servants witnessed how Nabal responded to David, and they ran straight to Abigail. She had the wisdom to know the next steps to take.
The Fruit of the Spirit
There is something striking when you look at what Abigail demonstrated in contrast to Nabal. He was mean and crude, and she showed the opposite in every way. She demonstrated peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those are what we know today as the Fruit of the Spirit, and they describe Abigail perfectly.
Abigail believed in God’s faithfulness, and we see that in her conversation when she goes to smooth things over with David. In 1 Samuel 25:30 she tells him, “Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God.” She recognized God’s promises, which no doubt gave her hope and strength to do what she needed to do with confidence.
Today, we have the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to help us with those same things. If we can draw on the Holy Spirit to embody these qualities, we, too, can have contentment and demonstrate it the way Abigail did.
Making the Choice to Be Content
We also recognize there is a difference between ongoing circumstances and a traumatic event. It’s important for us to make that distinction. When you are right in the middle of a traumatic event, maybe Paul’s teaching on contentment isn’t what you need to hear in that moment. Survival is really what you’re focused on.
Maybe it’s all you can do to just get through it. That could be what Abigail felt as she faced the crisis with David. But the life she was living day in and day out with Nabal? That was a season. A long season of difficult circumstances that she was navigating every day—and doing it beautifully.
Paul said he learned to be content, and that involves choices. He could have sunk into discouragement and depression, but he chose contentment. Abigail also made a choice to be content. She knew the season she was living in, yet she made it the best she could, and we can do the same.
Whatever your circumstances look like right now—whether you are in a season of want or a season of plenty—let’s find encouragement in Abigail’s story and look to her as an example. The strength we need to live content can only come through our relationship with the Lord.
The secret to being content that Paul referred to can be found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Let’s think on these words as we seek the Lord for the strength to choose contentment in every season.
