About seven years ago, I was talking with my friend Andy about contentment and unfulfilled longings.
I said something along the lines of, “I’m trying to be content, but it’s so hard to get rid of these longings.”
I still remember Andy’s response—words that have strengthened me likely hundreds of times since:
He said, “Bro, the goal isn’t to get rid of our longings. Biblical contentment is not the absence of longing. Biblical contentment is trusting God in the midst of our longings and setting them in the context of His larger story.”
It’s so relieving to know that in our longings—even those painful, almost unbearable longings—God is not telling us, “Just stop feeling that.”
Rather, God is telling us, “Bring your longings to Me. Entrust them to Me. Zoom out—and remember that a fulfillment is coming that is far greater than anything you could ever imagine” (cf. Ephesians 3:20–21).
Dane Ortlund encourages us: “Whatever joy, whatever deep fulfillment that we would have had in this life that we didn’t [get to experience], we will experience in the new world one hundredfold.”
The gospel is “good news” not because it eliminates our longings, but because it gives us a far better (and far more secure) hope than anything this world can offer.
Ultimately, our hope is not in a concept, but a Person—the Savior who knows our longings perfectly, walks with us continually, and invites us to look to Him daily for renewed strength and rest (cf. Matthew 6:11; 11:28–30).
Will you join me today in refixing our eyes on Jesus and resetting our longings into the context of God’s larger story?
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” —2 Corinthians 4:16–18
Blake Glosson (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is an assistant campus pastor at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, Illinois. He has been published and/or republished or referred by:
- The Gospel Coalition
- Life Bible
- Crosswalk
- Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn)
- Challies.com/Tim Challies (here, here, here, and here)
- Moody Radio (here, here, and here)
- The JOY FM (here and here)
- DashHouse/Darryl Dash (here and here)
- The Aquila Report (here, here, and here)
- ChurchLeaders.com
- Monergism.com
Previously, Blake served as the director of young adults at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.
Read “Five Habits that Kill Contentment” here.
Read “Why Does God Say No to Good Things?” here.
Read/listen to “Hope in Times of Suffering” here.
Watch or listen to more of Blake’s sermons here.
Feel free to drop a comment below with thoughts or questions!