Paul’s Secret to a Grateful Heart

For over two years, the apostle Paul was a prisoner, shifted from “pillar to post,” until he was shipped out to Rome. Once there, Paul continued to be under house arrest. He thanked the believers in Philippi for their concern and reassured them with these gracious words: “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” (Phil. 4:11–12).

Paul was talking about an internal quietness of heart (supernaturally given) that makes God the focus, rather than hardships. Outwardly, not much changed about Paul’s plight—there was still harsh treatment and cold nights in a bleak jail cell. But Paul did not resign himself to his problems, vexing and fretting, bitterly faulting God for his plight. Rather, Paul enjoyed the contentment of a calm spirit that was able to relax in God’s control. Paul learned how to live this way by understanding and then practicing it. What did he understand?

“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” (Phil. 4:12). What was the secret Paul learned? Greek scholars say that the word rendered as “contentment” in our Bibles has the meaning of “sufficiency.” Paul uses the same Greek root in his comments in Philippians 4 as he does in 2 Corinthians 12:9a, “... My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul’s secret was simply learning to lean on the Lord of grace for help. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Paul had to master this. It meant making tough choices—deciding this, not that; going in this direction, not that one. Why does the secret involve such hard work? Because it’s not our natural bent. Humbly seeking help from God doesn’t come automatically. Just take a look at a few of Paul’s well-chosen words in Philippians: “I press on... I contend... I stand firm....”

Paul’s contentment opened the way for gratitude to blossom. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” Paul was able to rejoice that his tough circumstances forced him to rely on God, rather than his own strength. And it was the reality of God’s grace in his life that produced true gratitude.

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