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When we chose contentment for this month’s focus, I was completely unprepared for the work that was ahead of me and how the Lord was going to bring to the surface just how discontent I have become over the past several years. That discontentment didn’t happen in a vacuum – it affected every area of my life, as well as other people. While it has been a painful realization it has also been some of the sweetest times of reflection, confession and repentance that I have experienced in quite some time. I am grateful for it all. I share these things so that as you read this, you know that it is written by someone who is in the struggle with you.
I attempted to tackle this post a few times. Each time, I got to the end, and it felt empty and dry – something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, as I was listening to my Spotify playlist, a song played that really hit home on what I knew I needed to write about but just couldn’t articulate it. It is a song that I have listened to literally hundreds of times and is one of my favorites. But this morning it landed differently.
The song I am referencing is “Anchor” by Beautiful Eulogy, featuring Josh Garrels. I will be referencing a selection of the verses as I move through this topic, but you can listen to the entire song on Spotify or Apple Music.
The opening lyrics of the song:
“Anchor of my soul, You sustain
When I’m in the storm, You remain
Good to me.”
Notice he doesn’t talk about how the Lord stopped the storm he was in, nor that he gritted his teeth and endured the struggle. He acknowledges that the Lord is the anchor of his soul – the foundation of his contentment. He recognizes that it is God who sustains him through the trials of life. And it is all rooted in God’s goodness.
Much like what we see in Philippians 4:11 when Paul speaks of how he has learned in whatever situation to be content. He then lists some of the situations that he has lived through where he learned this contentment. We can also look at 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 to see many examples of the “storms” Paul endured. Yet through it all he was anchored in the goodness of his Lord and Savior. It is why he says in Philippians 4:13,
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
It also reminds me of Habakkuk 3:17-19a
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines,
The produce of the olive fail
And the fields yield no food,
The flock be cut off from the fold
And there be no herd in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God the Lord, is my strength,
This gives us a beautiful picture of what contentment is. Anchoring our soul in the unchanging character of God no matter how much the cares of the world threaten to overtake us or situations challenge us. And as the song also reminds us –
He sustains.
He remains.
He is good.
And that my dear sisters – is the foundation of contentment in our lives.
As the song continues, the writer recounts sleepless nights; being haunted by his sin. But then he recalls,
“Now I can rest knowing that nothing can come against
Me unless the Father gives consent
Evil intentions will not disturb God’s purposes or interfere so
Who shall I fear if my Anchor is secure?”
Here we are reminded of God’s providence. As sovereign creator of all things, He watches over and cares for all His creation – including you and me. Nothing in our lives happens by chance or coincidence.
Paul reminds us of this in Romans 8:28,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
And in Matthew 10:29, Jesus himself reminds us of God’s care and kindness toward us in all things,
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
The struggles of life are not random. Nothing – nothing – slips past God’s sovereign hand. Everything must pass through His hand – and that means that everything in our lives is purposeful. And though these truths do not remove our experience of pain and suffering – it anchors our soul in the same firm foundation that allowed Job to “not sin with his lips” after he experienced great loss. (Job 2:10)
Let’s move on to the next set of lyrics.
“Learning to consider it pure joy when I’m facing tribulations
Praising God instead of complaining or getting overtaken with bitterness
Looking at the pages of the book of James and seeing
The ways that God works through the trials to make us more
Mature in our faith.”
Joy in trials. That is contentment in a nutshell. Whether those trials are flogging and danger such as Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 11, devastating loss like Job experienced in Job 1, or even in the day-to-day struggles of life itself. James tells us in James 1:2-4,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Every situation in our lives is meant to test our faith and produce steadfastness. And that is why James tells his readers to “count it all joy” when these things happen. Because God is at work – maturing us in our faith and conforming us more into the image of Christ. That joy is found in trusting that God knows exactly what He is doing in this “fill in the blank” situation.
Let me remind you that Paul’s letter to the Philippians which is often noted for its tone of joy – was written by a man sitting in prison, not knowing for sure if he was going to make it out alive. Talk about contentment!
Lastly, let’s visit on last set of lyrics.
“When the tide of life rises and swells, ‘It Is Well’ is what compels me.”
Life is hard – whether it is the monotony of life, the temptations we face to covet what someone else has, compare ourselves with others, to fear the unknown; or if it is suffering loss, illness, or persecution. Anchoring our soul – rooting our joy and contentment – in the One who created us, chose us, saved us, sustains us and provides all we need enables us to say, “It is well with my soul.” And in case you didn’t know – the writer of that hymn, Horatio Spafford, wrote the lyrics after receiving the news that his four daughters had all died on a voyage from America to Europe. His wife was the only survivor.
I want to leave you with this.
The Anchor of our soul is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Being fully God and fully man, he humbled himself to be like us, being tempted and suffering like us. But He lived in the perfect obedience to the Father that we could not – and died the horrific death we deserved, taking the wrath of God on our behalf. He died and was buried. And on the third day, God raised Him from the dead – declaring His sacrifice as the sufficient and perfect atonement for sin. That deed declared victory over sin and death, removing the power of sin and the penalty of sin from us. And one day, He will return in final victory and will remove the presence of sin forever.
Let that be a reminder to our hearts. The One who created us, who saved us, who sent His Son to die for us that we might be called daughters of God – will never forsake us or leave us, and uses all things for our ultimate good and for His glory. Those two things can never be separated.
So take heart sisters. Stand firm in the faith, trusting that the Lord is at work. Pray for strength against the schemes of the enemy. Put to death the sin of comparison, complaining, fear and coveting – and rest in the contentment that is yours in Christ Jesus.
Anchor yourself in the truth of the gospel. And walk in a manner worthy of that gospel.
