Resting In God’s Sovereignty Requires Persistence

Without persistence or tenacity, you will never learn the joy of resting in God’s sovereignty. As Jimmy Draper once said, “Don’t quit before you finish.” So, where does that inner drive come from that keeps us in the saddle when the horse we’re riding starts to buck? What gave Paul the tenacity not to quit, to push through his challenges, and to say, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself ” (emphasis added)?

What does he mean by “content”? How did that happen in his life? More important, how do we, like Paul, become “content in whatever circumstances” we find ourselves?

The Greek word translated as “content” has several shades of meaning. It comes from a word meaning “to suffice.” It’s used in 2 Corinthians 9:8, which is translated as “having everything you need” or, more literally, “self-sufficiency.” It speaks of having enough.

The Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines it as “possessing enough to need to aid or support.”The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament says, “The word indicates independence of external circumstances and often means of the state of one who supports himself without aid from others.”

Let me see if I can put this all together so we can understand what it means to be “content.” When Paul said, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself,” he was saying, “I have learned to be self-sufficient.” You say, “That doesn’t sound right. In fact, it sounds a little arrogant and humanistic.” Then, let me try again to clear it up. How about this: “I have everything within me to be content. I don’t depend on anything on the outside to satisfy me. I carry my own sufficiency with me on the inside.”

Still confused? Then let me ask you this: What inner sufficiency did Paul possess that enabled him to be content in all his circumstances or to rest in God’s sovereignty? It was the presence and peace of Jesus Christ living in him!

What did Paul possess that no longer required any external circumstances to be content in all his circumstances? The answer and secret are found in Philippians 4:13: “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Do you see it? Contentment or resting in God’s sovereignty is something you learn if you don’t quit too soon and then live.

Your circumstances reveal your contentment.

Are you resting in or resisting the sovereignty of God? The way to get more of God is for God to get more of you! The more God gets of you, the more you get of God.

Today’s Prayer

Lord, thank you for redeeming me through your Son, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Remind me today that through him, I can rest! In Jesus’s name, amen.