Imagine for just a moment what your life would be like if you were bloodied and bruised for your beliefs, imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, constantly in danger of being robbed, enduring persecution from people claiming to love you, suffering from hunger and thirst, sleeping without shelter, or exposed to the cold. Sound a bit too outrageous to be true? Perhaps so, especially in our modern-day culture and settings, but if you think this cannot happen, then think again—it has. The apostle Paul is just one of many Christians who suffered much affliction during his life and wrote his testimony explaining the hardships,

"But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches" (2 Cor 11:21–28, ESV).

So how did the apostle respond to these various and sundry trials? Did he react in a manner similar to that of so many today who would blame God for every uncomfortable situation encountered? Was Paul quick to murmur and complain to his friends regarding how bad his situation was? Did the apostle seek out an empathetic ear or feel sorry for himself? The answer, of course, is no. His response is the model for all Christians in any given situation. It generally happens, that, our reaction would be a far cry from that of the apostle's when he wrote,

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:11b–13).

The words that immediately come to mind when I read that passage are contentment and gratitude. That is to say, Paul was not concerned so much for his own well being as he was in seeking to thank God for what little he had. How often today do we hear professing Evangelicals tell us how God wants us to succeed and how much God wants to bless us? Do you find it curious that no one, then, appeals to the apostle Paul when propounding such beliefs? I would suggest to you that the answer is strikingly obvious. That is, there are too few people who want to hear that God wants them to be content with their current situation, regardless of how unpleasant it is. That sort of biblical teaching would not make it on the best-seller list nor would it pack the pews. Rather, it is much more appealing to think of God as a big Santa Claus in the sky who wants us to be successful and flourish in this world. But the biblical reality is something quite different.

Paul elsewhere tells us that God works all things together for His purpose (cf. Rom 8:28). This necessarily includes the trials and tribulations that we face. The reality is that the Lord calls us to share in His passion, but many evangelical Christians never hear this message. They do not realize that we are called to suffer for Christ. The reality, however, is that God calls us, molds us, shapes us, and conforms us to the image of His Son. All Christians will experience pain and persecution and when difficult times arrive, we must all remember the words of Paul when he wrote of his contentment. He possessed the confidence that the Lord had placed him in each of those circumstances for a specific reason and that the Lord would give him the strength to face every trial he encountered.