“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” – Philippians 4:11

Adrian Rogers said, “Paul came to a place in his life—not a physical place, but a spiritual place—where he felt divine contentment. Most people think they know what this word “contentment” means, but let me tell you what it means in God’s Word—“self contained.”

In the context of this passage, we learn that Paul was thanking people for their love gifts to him, but he wanted them also to know that he was not dependent upon them because God had brought him to a place of sufficiency in Himself alone.

That is, Paul was able to say, “I have learned that I don’t need anything or anybody else, but the Lord. I have Him, and therefore, I am self-contained, not self-sufficient. I can do all things through Christ.” Do you have a contentment today in Christ alone?”

So how was it that Paul learned to find what most people never discover? The key is Phil. 1:21″For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” As F. B. Meyer said –“Christ is the essence of our life…the model of our life…the aim of our life…the solace of our life…the reward of our life.” When we truly believe  that we will be content regardless of the circumstances.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.“– Heb. 4:13

The one true God is omniscient; He is all-knowing. There is nothing in the past, in the present, or in the future that is hidden from Him. There is nothing spoken in secret, or thought in private, or done in darkness that is not known to Him.

The realization of God’s omniscience brings with it both conviction and comfort. It is convicting to consider that our whole life is an open book to God. “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance” (Psalm 90:8). There is no hiding from the Holy One.

However, for the believer God’s omniscience also carries an incalculable comfort. The fact that every sin is open to His eyes means that every sin was paid for on the cross of Jesus Christ. The fact that God knew us so intimately and still chose to send His Son to die for us is unspeakably reassuring.

And when we come to the omniscient God in prayer, Jesus reminds us, He knows what we need before we even ask Him (Matthew 6:8). Not only that, but He knows our frame; He will never let us suffer more than we can bear (Psalm 103:14; Hebrews 13:10).

As Job reminded himself, “He knoweth the way that I take” and nothing will be allowed into my life except it be for my refining, for my good. –Baptist Bible Hour

God knows–God cares–God can help!

It would do us good to consider what Robert E. Lee said, “Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray–to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight–all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word ‘concern’ out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.”

Many are greatly troubled by things they don’t understand. Some feel God isn’t being fair or that everything is working against them rather than for them. How do you explain to a child the death of a parent? But as an old song says, “We’ll understand it better bye and bye”–indeed we will! Knowing his people were troubled by such thoughts, James Smith wrote the following to his church in 1840: