“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 all this through him who gives me strength.”
secret. Being content is a beautiful way to live. The dictionary defines secret being used in this context as a method, formula, plan, etc., known only to the initiated or the few: the secret of happiness; a trade secret.
If you are a believer you are one of “the few”, and within us we embrace a precious secret to strength. We can say that by the strength of the Lord we can be content no matter what is going on around us. Paul understood this, and he spoke with the authority as well. He said, “…for 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.”
I think it is important to note that Paul said two times here that he had learned contentment. Contentment does not just fall on your lap like a ripe apple from a tree. Contentment is developed through decision making in times of crisis or problems you face. It is when you learn the secret of contentment that you can look to the Lord and proclaim “I CAN DO everything through Him who strengthens me. Sometimes when we face needs in this life and we decide to be content until the manifestation, God can work in us and also on our behalf. It is those times that we realize after we get through the trial that the situation gave us new insights and we became stronger because of it.
Let us not call upon His strength to just escape and run away from our needs but rather to be strengthened to walk through them. Let us bare the testimony that Paul wrote ” I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me.” It is as we do this that we can truly say that we can do all through Him who strengthens us! May we rejoice in God for He is the strength of our hearts!