Standing Firm in Contentment When God Feels Gone
“So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends” (Philippians 4:1). What, then, are we to stand firm in? That Jesus has promised to transform us by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself (Philippians 3:20-21), in and by Jesus’s nature as savior and the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15-20).
Stand Firm in Biblical Truth
“I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
There are a number of commands here. First, those in charge (or anyone in the body, if we’re to get specific) ought to agree by seeking the Lord first. If we disagree about anything, let God be the final decision maker and agree with His Scripture above all else. In addition, those being led ought to help their leaders. Be gracious and let everyone know how gracious you are, just as God does. Yet more than anything, Paul’s emphasis is on joy: rejoice in the Lord!
And he makes no clarifications or qualifications on when rejoicing must occur. Rather, he declares that rejoicing should always be our state of mind—neither worry nor strife should cause us to abstain from rejoicing. Rather, when we are faced with circumstances that would necessarily induce anxiety, anger, and strife, we ought to thank God. And, as we thank Him, we petition Him with yet more thanks to intervene. And in this petition, God’s peace is given to guard us.
Abound in Every Spiritual Place
But what happens when you pray with thanksgiving, and, yet you feel no peace? A few verses down, Paul tells us two things that, on first glance, appear to be the same thing twice. Yet, it isn’t. Philippians 4:12 says, “I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” Paul is not just repeating the notion that he knows how to work while hungry or while full. Rather, he is speaking, in part, of spiritual hunger and spiritual fullness.
Note that the gifts Paul mentions in later verses are not specifically described as financial gifts. Though they likely were financial gifts in part, they were also spiritual gifts of encouragement, for it is not simply money that is a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18). Consider Paul’s statement in Romans 12:1-2.
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Following this Scripture is one of Paul’s exhortations about the Body, its gifts, and its purpose in supporting one another. In essence, then, our sacrifice is to give of ourselves in exhortation for the body. What, then, does this have to do with Philippians 4:12?
Paul’s second declaration in verse 12 is about his physical fullness, but his first declaration is about his spiritual fullness—as we call it now, the spiritual valleys and mountain tops. Note how he leads into this statement with verses 8-9. Dwelling on the good, pure, and lovely things—the bread of life and living water that Jesus is and all of His nature—brings peace. This is essential in understanding how Paul is content and strengthened by Christ in every circumstance.
Paul is speaking, in verse 12, about times when he has felt God far from him, when he feels discouraged. It is, as David writes in Psalm 23, when Paul walks through the valley of the shadow of death. He has learned that his emotions are a deception. When he cannot feel God’s presence because death is all around him, Paul is content. He lets God’s rod of discipline and staff of leadership be his comfort.
He is also speaking about times when he can feel God right there with him, when He has been spiritually successful and is raised up in jubilance. These are the times it is easy to rejoice. Yet Paul’s disposition does not change in these times. Rather, he is simply content.
And it is by this contentment that he is able to do all things through Christ’s strength (Philippians 4:13), for as he writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”
Making Do With Much and Little
How, then, do we find the comfort and contentment in God’s rod and staff to rejoice no matter our spiritual situation? For it is not about how we feel, as the heart and mind are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9) and “whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom” (that being God’s wisdom) “will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). Instead, it is about abiding in the truth of Christ, as John writes, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
That teaching, as Paul writes in Philippians 4:8, is truth, honor, justice, purity, love, moral excellence, and praiseworthy and commendable things—the nature of God Himself. This is the secret. Paul’s teaching is not to worry about how you feel; your feelings mean nothing in the truth of God’s presence. Rather, rejoice in His goodness and do what He teaches, and the God of peace will be with you (4:9) and His peace, you won’t understand it because He still won’t feel near to you, but you’ll have it anyway.
In Plain Terms
The simple thing is when you are in the depths of the valley of the shadow of death, when you feel alone and afraid, remember the truth of who God is. Remember that His Spirit within you is not one of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Repeat to yourself the things of God that are good and pure. Your feelings may not change. You may not understand what God is doing. But you will know that He is good because His Spirit within you will transform you, renew your mind, and draw you to contentment even in the lowest valley, just as He does at the highest peak. Dwell on the good, honorable, true, just, pure, and lovely nature of the Father. Don’t trust your feelings; trust your Savior. Psalm 23 is a great place to start. Repeat it to yourself until your feelings bend to the truth of God. Know that He is good even when you can’t feel Him, because He can’t help but work all things out for His glory and your good.