Contented At His Table

Issues – November 2013 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Contented At His Table

The Source Of Contentment
When I was reading Psalm 23 recently I realized that it is much more than simply a Psalm of comfort. It is a Psalm of contentment! David puts himself in the place of a sheep and declares, “The L ORD is my shepherd.” Later he describes himself as one sitting at a table that has been prepared by the Lord just for him – a table full of provisions and a place of protection from the enemy! But David wasn’t simply fascinated with these blessings – he was really absorbed with the person of the Lord, the blesser Himself! Real contentment comes from being occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Things can never satisfy us. Knowing this, David shows us that true contentment goes beyond the temporal. David was focused on a Person: “The LORD is my shepherd!” He had a relationship with Him. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep ... I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (Jn. 10:11-14 NKJV). A relationship with the Good Shepherd begins when I accept the fact the He gave Himself for me, as depicted in Psalm 22. Listen to what the Lord Jesus says in John 10:17-18: “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

My relationship with the Good Shepherd begins when I realize that I am a sinner and that He came into the world to save me. I was a lost sheep that had gone astray from God and He came to seek and save that which was lost! At the very moment when I accept what He accomplished for God on that cross in paying the price for my sin, confessing to a holy God that I am a sinner, my relationship with the Good Shepherd begins. Immediately I can declare with confidence that “The Lord is my shepherd!”

Then I need to listen to His voice. The Lord Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (Jn. 10:27-29). Being in the hand of the Shepherd is a place of salvation and security, but for us it also needs to be a place of single focus! We need to be occupied with the Shepherd Himself, listening to His voice and getting to know Him daily by being in His Word. The Shepherd, not the good He provides, is the source of real contentment! Recognizing Christ is the secret of being content in all circumstances. Listen to what Paul says, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13).

Notice how David was occupied with the shepherd: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps. 23).

The Blessings Of Contentment
Let’s look at a few results of being content in Him.

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (NASB). Proverbs 15:15 adds “All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.” In both of these verses we see that a heart that is content is satisfied and full of joy.

Our service for the Lord will be affected by our contentment. Paul says, “Godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim. 6:6,8 NKJV). Hebrews 13:5 reminds us: “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’” Job 36:11 adds, “If they hear and serve Him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures.”

Psalm 37:7-8 gives another blessing: “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” Worry flows out of not being occupied and content with the Lord. “Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked” (Prov. 24:19). But a heart in tune with the Lord can say, “O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Ps. 90:14). “He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good” (Ps. 107:9).

Listen to these verses that speak of other things affected by being occupied with the Lord:

• “The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil” (Prov. 19:23).
• “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:2).
• “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Ps. 17:15).
• “The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!” (Ps. 22:26).
• “With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation” (Ps. 91:16).
• “Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle” (Ps. 103:5).
• “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat” (Prov. 13:4).
• “He will not accept any ransom, nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts” (Prov. 6:35).
• “Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, ‘And what about us, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages’” (Lk. 3:14).
• “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Contentment’s Response
Contentment says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” “How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.” “Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.” Contentment announces, “He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things” (Ps. 23:1, 36:7-8, 63:3-5, 107:9).

The real secret to contentment is found in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be occupied with Him through the day and truly say, “For me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Oh that I might be able to declare with all my heart, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

By Timothy P. Hadley