A few years ago, I was going for a run to clear my mind. I was in college at the time, and I was stressed. I prayed as I ran, and while I was praying, something crazy happened.
God put five little words on my heart.
I don’t know where they came from. They had relatively little to do with my own prayer. God breathed them straight to my soul, and they repeated over and over again in my mind, so strongly that I stopped running and wrote them in the notes of my phone, so I wouldn’t forget.
Be content in the promise.
What does that even mean, to be content in the promise? What promise? And how in the world can contentment be found in a single promise?
I wrote the words on a sticky note and tacked it to the bulletin board in my room. I no longer have that bulletin board, but I still have the sticky note.
At that time in my life (and even now), I always wanted to know what was the next gift God would bring me to make me happy. It’s selfish, I know. But what did God have coming next? Was it a new relationship? An exciting and life-changing trip? My dream job?
God speaks right into my selfishness. He tells me, “Daughter, I’ve already given you all you need, and more. Be content in the promise I’ve made to you.”
And then, I think of my favorite Bible verse. Isaiah 43:1. I think about the promise God makes, just in one little verse.
“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Throughout the Bible, this promise is the same. It’s extended and woven throughout the chapters and the stories. God promises that He is our Creator and our Redeemer, He is calling us close to His heart because we belong to Him, and His love will always be more than enough.
So be content in what?
Be content in the promise that God’s redeeming love will always be enough.
How? Here are four practical tips on how you can be content in God’s promise for your life.
1. Remind yourself of God’s promise.
Spend time in scripture. Write verses on sticky notes and put them around your home. Ask a close friend to hold you accountable and remind you when those selfish desires push their way through to the surface of your life. Remind yourself of God’s promise each day.
2. Don’t buy the lies the world tries to sell you.
The world will try to tell you that you need more than a promise from a God you can’t see. The world will try to sell you a set of lies, that you are not good enough, and that even if there is a God, you need to be better in order to earn His love. Don’t buy these lies. Remind yourself of the promise.
3. Outnumber prayers of petition with prayers of thankfulness.
When we ask God for more than we thank Him for, we have a problem. Our focus can quickly stray to our own selfish desires and our own spiritual to-do list. When we thank God for more than we ask Him for, we remind ourselves of all the good He’s done in our lives. We remind ourselves that His redeeming love is true. We enable ourselves to find contentment in a promise that will surely be fulfilled by this loving Christ.
4. Rest in the loving arms of your Savior.
At the end of the day, contentment is all about rest. Rest in the loving arms of a God that keeps His promises. Know there is nothing you need to do to secure a promise that has already been made, if you belong to Him.
And never forget… you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
