May 5 Contentment

Two things I ask of you, O Lord. Do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. But give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. ~Proverbs 30:7-10

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” ~Philippians 4:11B-13

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. ~1 Timothy 6:6-10A

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child with its Mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. ~Psalm 131:1-2

If you knew that every day you would not go hungry, if you knew that every day you would not get cold, if you knew that every day you would have at least one pleasant conversation, if you knew that every day, you could attend to personal needs without stress, if you knew that every day, you would be sheltered from the elements, could you be content? If those were the only guarantees you had, could you be satisfied?

“Like a weaned child with its Mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” Haven’t I just described what a weaned child knows? The description of a weaned child is such a simple, yet beautiful picture. It describes a child who is no longer nursing or being bottle fed, so it is not demanding. It is probably potty trained, so it doesn’t need to be cared for in that way. This child is sitting on the parent’s lap, just because it wants too. There are no needs or demands. It is grateful that the parent is taking time to just be there. The focus is on relationship.

Paul says that he has learned the secret of being content. He has learned how to be like a weaned child in all situations. “Whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Could you be content if you were hungry? Could you be content if you were cold? Remember, Paul was saying this from a prison cell, not from the comfort of his living room. I’ll admit, I would probably struggle a little here.

A man named Agur, not Solomon, is the writer of today’s proverb. Agur means “gatherer; the collector.” He is only mentioned here in the Bible, as the author of the sayings in Proverbs 30. Nothing is known of him beyond what is there recorded.

But Agur demonstrates a good understanding of man. It is hard for us to be satisfied. We often focus on our lack and wish we had more. It is also hard for us to “go without” and accept our circumstances with quiet patience. His prayer to ask the Lord to hold him to the middle ground is a rare one, but a good one to consider.

We have talked often about the challenge of having too much. Agur says about it: “I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?” We’ve talked in the past about wealth and how, for many, it is a struggle. Some people begin worshiping their things, as noted by Paul in verses quoted above. Others start believing that what they have is a result of their own abilities and talents, forgetting the part that the Lord played in being able to acquire it. We’ve talked about Jesus’ warning of the tug of war between money and God Himself. Jesus says that we can’t serve both. It is good that Agur sees the danger here and asks the Lord to spare him from it.

The flip side is a danger or temptation that I believe we think about less: which is not having enough, about which Agur says: “Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” It is an honest man who can see that in himself. We would like to think that we could endure deprivation, but no one likes to be in want. We just don’t know unless it happens to us. Agur, however, didn’t even want to risk the possibility of turning on God or discrediting His name, so he’s asking the Lord to hold him on the middle ground. “Keep falsehood and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. But give me only my daily bread.” (I noticed that Jesus quoted this line in the prayer he taught us.)

I find it interesting that Agur puts these two conditions together. But by asking God to keep falsehood and lies far from him, that enables him to be honest with why he doesn’t want to be: rich or poor. He knows what he’s capable of and he doesn’t want to deceive himself to believe that he could handle either position. If he is tempted to begin to believe his own press and think he can handle either, he knows he’s in trouble. “Just give me my daily bread,” and he will be content.

Admittedly, being content can take work at first. It’s a balancing act, but both Agur and Paul learned how to do it. It requires trust in their heavenly Father, who will meet their needs as they need them. It is sitting like a weaned child on the Father’s lap, knowing that you are loved and that you will be cared for.

Jesus put it this way: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:34) Think of the weaned child again. It’s not thinking about the future, clamoring down to make sure to play with everything. It isn’t lamenting the past. It is enjoying the moment, taking one moment at a time. Perhaps we can learn something from Agur, Paul and that little child. And you are blessed if you already have. 

Prayer: Lord, I believe I have come a long way in my years and feel that I am closer than ever to being weaned of all the vain things of earth. Thank You for doing that work in me. I know you are not finished yet and You are more patient than I about the process. I think the hardest part will come at the very end of life, when my body itself will struggle for survival and possibly suffer much, while my spirit is longing to depart and be with you. May I pray  now, that by then I will truly be content with nothing but you? In Jesus' name, amen.

Song: Jesus Loves Me  (Note: This video is all hymns! About 15 minutes of worship! You are not obligated to listen to all of it at once.)