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W hen we think about being truly content, it's easy to think that it is all up to us. As believers, we know that true contentment is momentary until our Savior comes again. Part of the life of faith that we as Christians lead is to trust that no matter how distressing things become, He will be faithful to the Word He has given us and revealed to us. Our Baptism too shows that we can trust that He will rise from the dead and the Holy Spirit will help us to endure and find peace—even when what we see may be the opposite. How do we reach real contentment? Trying to find contentment on our own sets us up for disappoint- ment. Contentment is in fact a gift that God gives us through His grace. We are all guilty of going it alone, especially when we forget that we only reach content- ment because God brings us there. When learning to accept this, we should also endeavor to understand how content- ment is defined in God's Word, rather than using the world's definition. Ecclesiastes is a great refer- ence for learning about con- tentment because this book deals with someone who is struggling with a life that lacks a sense of meaning. We all some- times feel our lives are without purpose. When we think about finding contentment, we notice that the speaker suggests we can find it by living in the present. For us who have the promises of the Gospel, living in the present is different. As humans, we struggle with two big things: regret for the past (things we did, things we said, etc.) and anxiety about the future. We tend to look to the future with fear and the past with regret—but we can't change either. Yet, God calls us in His Word to live in the present and be at peace with what the present day gives us. It helps us to realize the past is gone and forgiven—our past sins are washed away. It also gives us hope for a certain future. Even in death, we know we won't be apart from our Lord. So, finding wellbeing in the present is really trusting that God follows through in His promises. Psalm 90 also defines contentment for us as believers. It is the song and prayer of Moses and speaks of numbering our days. This chapter also teaches us how we can live in the Gospel and make the most of each day that we are given. Moses empha- sizes that it is God who satisfies us. This psalm shows how when we go out into the world in our vocations, we grasp contentment when God gives meaning and purpose to what we do. The reality that we are God's children becomes clear. Psalms like this one don't leave us wallowing in the lament but end with showing God's mercy. The verses aren't afraid to meet us where we are at in our lives and then bring us to new hope. When reading about contentment in the Bible, it can be a challenge to unpack the sometimes-complex lan- guage in books such as Ecclesiastes and Psalms. We can find peace knowing that these books are not nec- essarily written by contented people—yet we always see a turn when the speaker revels in God's good mercy. These books help us to understand waiting on the Lord. We wait on Him to deliver on His promises. The waiting can seem very long. But His Word brings us satisfaction in waiting. Psalm 130:5–6 says, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord." It can be hard to live in the moment, so it is important to help one another and encourage one another in doing so. We should rely on one another as fellow believers to remind one another of this calling. If you're facing the idea of contentment, I always encourage everyone to do some practical things to live in the present. Create a practical habit. Enjoy the simple gifts that God gives us. God gives us the present—what do we make of it? • Psalm 130:5–6 says, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord." Dig into Saleska's latest biblical commentary in this Concordia Commentary volume. Covering Psalms 1 –50, discover how God is both the Creator and poet of life. Find this title and others in this issue at cph.org. CONCORDIA COMMENTARY: PSALMS 1–50 Lutheran Life 19

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