Paul says in Philippians 4:
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Sometimes we forget what a mind-blowing statement this is! Paul was beaten, whipped and stoned almost to death, thrown into prison for months, years. In all this he learned to be content.
Could I do that?
Recently we had a scare with Zach and had to take him into hospital. The doctors and nurses said that Farrah and I seemed very calm. We may have been on the surface, but we were terrified underneath! I wouldn’t say we were content in that situation.
We were singing Blessed be Your Name tonight, and this song has really been challenging me recently. The tag says:
You give and take away,
You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say:
“Lord, blessed be your name.”
I’ve also been reading the book of Job, which is where that quote comes from – after all Job’s children die, he says, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” The Lord has given us a beautiful baby boy, Zachariah. If the Lord took him away, would we choose to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord?”
In fact, Matt and Beth Redman wrote that song after their own child died. They chose to praise God, even in that situation, because they have learned the hard lesson of being content in all circumstances. God is teaching me this now, and it’s hard, but I get the feeling it’s going to be important in the future.