When we become convinced that we cannot be joyful without something desirable that is absent from our lives, or we cannot be joyful with something undesirable that is present in our lives, our gaze has drifted away from Jesus onto our circumstances. The secret to contentment, regardless of what we have and don’t have, what we get to do and don’t get to do, who we are and who we are not, is to expect Jesus to fulfil the longings of our hearts. When we look to Him for hope, peace, rest, comfort, courage, security, companionship, strength, and provision, and trust that He will sustain us and satisfy us in all circumstances, God is honored in us, and we are happy in Him. We can be joyfully content whether we have little or much because we have it all in Jesus.
Removing Things In The Way Of Our Happiness
When we attempt to live as sovereigns over our own little kingdoms, striving to fill them up with all the things we think will make us happy, we will discover that real happiness is elusive, and lasting happiness is impossible. Why? Because frustration and futility are hard-wired into every attempt by God’s people to find soul-satisfaction in something other than Him. He alone knows best how to give us fulfilling lives (far better than anything we can find elsewhere), and when we prioritize pursuing Him, His ways, His kingdom and His plans, He will give us all that is necessary for our full and lasting happiness in Jesus and will remove the things that are in the way of it.
