These are strange times. With so much uncertainty and controversy related to COVID-19, social unrest and a host of other circumstances that may be affecting you and your family, it can be very difficult to have stability and peace of mind. Many people have experienced mental and/or emotional difficulty amidst everything that is going on. If nothing else, this has shown us how little control we actually have. Pandemic or not, there will always be things that challenge us. How great would it be to not be so affected by those things?

Thankfully the Bible gives us clear direction on how we should approach current day life or any question at all for that matter: focus on God. In Phillipians 4:11, immediately after thanking the brothers and sisters in Christ at the church of Philippi for being concerned about him, Paul points to the fact that circumstances don’t affect him (“…content whatever the circumstances.”). Paul experienced both good times and bad times, but he learned to be content. Content means not longing for something you don’t have or complaining about the things that you do have. While it’s great to have another Christ-follower support you and pray for you, that alone won’t make you content.

Often taken out of context, in Phillipians 4:13 Paul gives his ‘secret’ to being content; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It’s actually not a secret because when you live your life in the will of God, He will always provide you with everything you need (not necessarily everything you want), no matter what is going on around you. Make no mistake, it’s God power and provision, not our own. When we pursue things that are outside of His will, contentment disappears because His provision disappears and we end up trying to do everything on our own strength. It’s a simple concept that has a huge impact on how we live our lives. We need to stop waiting for everything to be perfect according to our plans and our ideas and honestly submit ourselves to God’s plan and purpose. That’s what Paul did and he found contentment in all circumstances.

Reflection Questions

1. What things other than God do I look to for comfort/stability? One way to know if I am making an idol out of that thing is to ask myself “How would I feel if ___ was suddenly taken away from me?” Sometimes it’s things I don’t have (“If I only had____”).


2. Why am I so quick to make excuses for my lack of contentment in my actions and attitudes? (“Well I only said/did that because of ___.”)


3. What ideas or plans do I need to let go of so I can pursue what God has for me? What are some practical steps that I can take today to do that?

Reference Scriptures

Philippians 4:11-13