My Prayer for Spiritual Discontentment by Edith Pont

I still remember those days as a babe in Christ. They were sweet moments. Reading my Bible, praying, and knowing more about God were all I longed for. And I still do, but if I?m going to be honest, it?s not with the same zest.

Moving to Texas was a rude awakening. I thought I would be ok. I believed I would be just fine. I wanted to be strong. And so I went with it. With time, it was evident I was out of control.

That?s when it hit.

I?ve become spiritually content.

And I?m not alone. There?s churches full of us? the contented ones. Fortunately, if we wake up and get off contentment train, we?ll experience three life-changing lessons. But these lessons are not for the faint of heart. It?s for those truly wanting to go deeper.

But deeper means discomfort. Nobody wants that. At least we don?t willingly sign up for it.

I?m over it. I?m over the fact that I can?t do it all. That I don?t have it all together. That I?m messed up. And I want to keep it that way. I long to go deeper with God.

But that means surrender.

There?s a well-known story in Luke 10:38-42. I?ve listened to it many times. It?s the story of two sisters. Never does a story impact you, until you?re willing to see yourself in it.

The story of Martha and Mary have taught me three life lessons, which I hope encourage you in never settling to be spiritually content. Because when we become content in pursuing God, we die.

Let?s read verses 38-39,

?As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.?Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord?s feet, listening to what he taught.?

First Lesson: Sit Low

Verse 38 tells us Martha opened her home to Jesus. I imagine that if Martha was anything like me, she probably cleaned her home before they arrived and was tiding up as she prepared the food.

Verse 39, describes her sister Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus? the lowest place. There, she would physically have to lift her head to see his face.

Many times, we want to sit next to Jesus. We want to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. But the finest view is the one from low places ? at his feet ? as it reminds us of our brokenness? our need of him.

We must sit low to see high.

Brokenness is not a sign of weakness, but of a sign of his power to transform us in his likeness.

How low are you willing to go? Our disposition to acknowledge our brokenness will depend on how low we?re prepared to sit. If we don?t sit low, we?ll miss the beauty of his gaze.

Second Lesson: Seek Him

Let?s stay in verse 39. There is so much here, beloved.

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord?s feet, listening to what he taught.

Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus? listening to his voice.

When we are broken, it allows us to seek him more sincerely. When we believe we have it all together, we loose the beauty of his grace.

But Mary listened. I reflect back at the times I?ve brought the ?discontentment? laundry list to him ? AKA, our prayers and petitions. We all have them. They are valid and he cares for each one.

But I wonder what would happen if instead of talking to him about our discontentment, we listened to his voice, his teaching, and began to experience his love for us?

• Would we experience wholeness?

• Would we discover to be and not do?

• Would we discern ?what is better? when distractions overwhelm us?

Seeking him sounds like a no brainer, but difficult to practice. Verse 40 prompts me to see how much I?m like Martha:

But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ?Lord, doesn?t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.?

I long to be like Mary, but I?m more like Martha. I?m constantly ?busy? ? distracted with life ? home, work, children, and ministry. And when I?m exhausted from my own efforts, I plead to him to help me make sense of it all.

Can you relate?

Oh, but God is so good. So gracious. So understanding.

There is beauty in brokenness. It?s only when we allow ourselves to be real in our brokenness that we can be healed.

Martha may have opened her home, but Mary opened her heart. Seeking him with an open our heart allows us to receive his love, grace, and power. As our cups overflow, it spills out to those around us. When we are in his presence there is transformation.

But God didn?t leave Martha in a state of confusion. She asked a question,

?Lord, doesn?t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.?

And the Lord answered. Not the way she expected, but with a deeper meaning. He answered to the core of the problem.

?My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!?There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.?

Wow. I still tear up as I read this. It hits home. It?s a reminder of my need to connect with him. It?s the realization of the constant necessity to check my heart. And so Martha teaches us the third lesson.

Third Lesson: Search Within

Martha was upset. She wanted to make sure Jesus knew she was working hard to make things pretty. She had a need to please.

I can picture her pointing her finger and rolling her eyes at the thought of her sister not helping her. But sweet Jesus acknowledged her feelings. He understood her.

Martha pointed the finger, externally, toward her sister. She was blinded to her own self-awareness. She missed the point. She missed self-examination. She missed and opportunity to grow.

But Jesus directed her back to the truth.

He knew that when we are spiritually content, we tend to:

• See what others are not doing vs. what we need to do

• Think ourselves superior vs. treat others as better than ourselves

• Believe that by serving we?re somehow more spiritual vs. keeping a humble attitude

And slowly? we miss him. He begins to fade in the background. We begin to do for him vs. be with him.

Searching within is not about us. It?s about what he can do in and through us. It?s about allowing him to search our hearts and align our desires with his will.

Searching within is an opportunity to show the world his power.

So where are you today? Are you being busy like Martha? Or are you sitting low and gazing high like Mary?

Jesus gives us permission to sit at his feet. He?d rather you sit with him than perform for him.

My prayer for you is that you become spiritually discontent, that your spiritual eyes may be opened to welcome your brokenness, and that you surrender. Lastly, I hope that you keep these three lessons in mind:

1. Sit low

2. Seek him

3. Search within

As you sit low with him, you?ll see high. As you seek him, you?ll be able to give more of him. And as you search within, you?ll let go of the need to perform for him and just be with him.

With much love,

Edith