{"id":2907,"date":"2026-03-16T13:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/?page_id=2907"},"modified":"2026-03-16T15:44:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T15:44:57","slug":"the-pursuit-of-contentment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/the-pursuit-of-contentment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pursuit of Contentment: At Rest In Unanswered Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here you can find the video script written for our fifth session as a reference.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace is priceless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A while back I really felt God impress on me the importance of learning the art of contentment, even in the middle of what I would describe as a pretty horrific sleep disorder. That if I could learn to be at peace while life was difficult, then I would have something very precious and valuable, that would put me in good stead for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a verse in 1 Timothy that says \u201cGodliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it\u201d. I\u2019ve always loved that verse so, so much. I think it\u2019s so under-rated. It\u2019s like a shortcut to the place we’re all trying to get to. A place of internal completion, fullness and rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you look at it, those two things in this verse \u2014 godliness and contentment \u2014 they seem to come as a pair. You could ask yourself: is it possible to be godly without being content? And is it possible to be content without being godly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, it very much seems like those two things need to develop side by side as we walk with Jesus. In that sense, it might almost contain the trace of a warning\u2026 if you\u2019re not godly, you\u2019ll never be content. You\u2019ll never be at peace. You\u2019ll never have<\/em> enough, and you\u2019ll never be<\/em> enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks back in one of our staff times, Oli shared a picture from a book (I forget which book) just describing desire like a fire: the more fuel you throw into it, the more intense that fire becomes, and the faster that fuel is burnt up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how much fuel we keep throwing on it \u2014 no matter how much we try and satisfy our desires \u2014 that fire only grows. And we\u2019re forever in need of new pleasures, new leisures, new experiences. They\u2019re great for a moment, but they all keep on running out, leaving us dry and empty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet contentment draws water from another place. That what really satisfies us isn\u2019t actually the thing we immediately crave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finite Difficulties, Infinite Joy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure there\u2019s so many layers to contentment, and I think it\u2019s worth its weight in gold. I think it can free up so much of your time and energy from pursuing all sorts of things in this world, releasing you to serve God and go after the things he\u2019s put on your heart, that you can hear him calling you into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I also think it\u2019s a key survival tool, that in hard times we\u2019re all the more caught up in the goodness of God. We have our eyes lifted and can see his kingdom coming on the horizon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can see that all our difficulties and disappointments are finite, yet the joy coming is eternal. And in fact, the deeper our cup of suffering flows now, the more it will be filled with joy then. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s something that I think stops this in its tracks, and can so easily derail us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unanswered Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the notion of unanswered prayer. The felt experience or perception that your deepest prayers are being met with deafening silence \u2014 that God seems to be holding out on you for no good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you need God the most, he seems to go quiet. All your prayers for the one thing you really need him to act on seem to get lost into a void. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know if you can relate to that? Hard times, I think, can serve to reveal the very core of discontentment running in our hearts: the feeling that God isn\u2019t really listening, and he\u2019s holding back good things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of discontentment actually runs all the way back to Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve were duped into thinking that God was holding out on them \u2014 holding back something good, which they both desired and thought they deserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These next two points might feel trivial, and I\u2019ve actually debated whether or not to include them because they might even seem a little bit quirky. But I can\u2019t shake the fact that they\u2019ve really helped me see some more of the dynamics around prayer that\u2019s eased this angst and discontentment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Conflicting Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever considered the notion of conflicting prayers? Like you pray for one thing, and without realising it, maybe in the very next moment, you pray for the complete and total opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So often we pray for all the good things: for a comfortable life, for a good level of provision and nice holidays. We want a nice garden, and a nice car, and some savings stashed away. We want good health and happy days; good friendships and families. On and on it goes, and in a sense, none of that is bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pray these prayers, and they all have the same sort of focus, and they all go in one particular direction. They\u2019re all centred on ourselves, the blessings we want, and things going well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then there\u2019s moments when we forget all this, and have a total lapse of concentration. Perhaps we got frustrated with ourselves and prayed opposite prayers; that run in a completely different direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things like: \u201cLord, I\u2019m so sorry. I failed again. Please don\u2019t leave me like this!  Lord, help me change! Make me more like Jesus!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And maybe we\u2019ve prayed things like \u201cLord, I want to be used for your purposes! I want to be a more effective witness. I want you to use me to reach others. Please use me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as much as God may not mind the prayers for an easy and comfortable life, I think he loves<\/em> these other types of prayers, to be more like Jesus and to be used for his purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, in his timing, he answers. Trials come in \u2014 perhaps that hedge of protection comes down a little. Our faith is tested, and strengthened in the process as we learn to rely on God and not ourselves; not in our own strength, or perhaps our bank balance, or all the other things we place our hope in. We\u2019re slowly transformed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it says in 1 Peter, we are refined by fire. We\u2019re softened to the point where we can be reshaped and remoulded. The fire also helps to burn away all the dross and imperfections, and purifies us, leaving us with a faith which is more precious than gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the fire comes \u2014 whatever that trial might look like \u2014 we kind of realise how useless all those temporal things which claim our hearts really are. You might call them idols. We can even develop quite a disdain for them. \u201cLook how useless you are! You promised me things, and now look!\u201d. We realise how empty they are, and our hearts can even turn against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet it\u2019s in the darkness that we so clearly see the light; where it comes from, and where it isn’t. And it\u2019s in the context of your trials that others see your faith shine out. That\u2019s when our witness to others can be very powerful as they see our faith in action \u2014 that it\u2019s not just talk and nice ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It just makes me think, when I\u2019m struggling with what feels like the silence of unanswered prayer \u2014 when I\u2019ve got all down and disheartened \u2014 maybe I should just pause and take a moment and consider which<\/em> prayers my Father in heaven might be answering first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He might well be answering some before he answers others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s switched the light on for me. It\u2019s like \u201cSam, you really did pray for this. And God really did answer! He really is listening, and he really is answering!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know you might think this is a bit daft or a bit cute, but I genuinely think this is real, that there’s some substance to this. And it\u2019s really helped me break out of this \u201cGod is ignoring me\u201d mentality, or the idea that he doesn\u2019t hear our prayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you pay attention to the lyrics of some our worship songs, you\u2019ll realise we don\u2019t just say these types of things in prayer, but we all sing them together in worship!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever sung songs like The Potter\u2019s Hand, or Refiner\u2019s Fire, and go back and look at those lyrics, you\u2019ll know the worship team have totally stitched you up! And as well they should, as they express the heart\u2019s desire of every true Christian \u2014 to be purified, remoulded, and used for God\u2019s purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which echoes 1 John 3 which says \u201cAll who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure\u201d. Sometimes God gives us a little hand in that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Holy Spirit lives in you, he implants a deep desire to look more and more like Jesus. We just want to be better, to sin less and less, to walk in the light more and more. It\u2019s a desire you end up finding at the core of your being.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we use words when we pray, God\u2019s really listening to our hearts, and knows exactly what we mean, even when we can\u2019t find the right words or don\u2019t manage to put it into words at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you pray in tongues, it\u2019s a huge blessing as it releases you from the language barrier, of thinking \u201chow on earth do I put this into words?\u201d. It\u2019s like our Spirit gets unlocked and can flow freely. As 1 Corinthians 14 says, we utter mysteries to God in the Spirit. That\u2019s a way of saying we\u2019ve got no idea what\u2019s coming out of our mouths, we don\u2019t actually know what we\u2019re praying. It\u2019s from the depths of your spirit, guided by the Holy Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is it possible, in all the mysteries that you utter, that at times you might pray deeply for your own sanctification, which the Holy Spirit has put on your heart, and for your faith to be an effective witness to others? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you paying attention to the deepest desires you have within you, which God can read, and may well be responding to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The Little Things<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, a second little thought. This one’s much shorter. And it\u2019s just that I for one have noticed that God\u2019s answered so many of my little prayers \u2014 for moments of provision, for help and energy, for particular situations to work themselves out, for things like which school the kids get enrolled in. Even things which seem daft, like for car parking spaces, or to find a particular item at the shops. I\u2019ve don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve noticed that? God seems to answer our little prayers, just as a way of saying \u201cI\u2019m still with you, I\u2019m still here\u201d but in the really big things we still have to trust him and wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s almost the opposite of what we expect. In my heart I\u2019m thinking \u201cI don\u2019t care about the little prayers, give me the big one!\u201d But his priorities are different to ours, and sometimes I think the way he works in the little things helps coach us.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Greatest Treasure of Darkness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I actually have a third point, and this one\u2019s massive. And spoiler alert: if you were planning on watching my video story at some point, this is the climax of that 24 minute story. Four years into wrestling with the silence of unanswered prayer and my sleep disorder, it slowly dawned on me that, while I was fixated on the one big solution that I wanted \u2014 healing, or a fix of some kind \u2014 I was actually feeling closer to God, and feeling his presence like I\u2019ve never done before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I was praying for the thing that I wanted, God was answering with his presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wasn\u2019t ignoring my prayers. Instead he was responding in a way that I just didn\u2019t expect, and wasn\u2019t on my radar. God\u2019s like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing God speak and feeling his presence, you realise, is the real thing you need. Much more than the quick fix you\u2019re after. It\u2019s good to remember that everyone that Jesus healed died of something else. It wasn\u2019t the ultimate answer. I mustn\u2019t get so fixated on it that healing becomes like a god to me. Healings are a temporary blessing, yet God\u2019s got his eyes on the eternal, and working out just what\u2019s best for us, and others, in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quite often it\u2019s our need for God that holds us in his presence, listening to his voice. And God\u2019s presence is quite possibly the greatest treasure of darkness we can ever experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Battle of Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just a little aside, Romans 12:12 is a great verse that highlights the battle of prayer and troubles. It says \u201cRejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It reminds us that while we constantly pray, we still need to be patient in all our troubles. They might go on for a while. They might go on for a long, long time, and it doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re doing anything wrong, or God\u2019s doing anything wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in a very fallen broken world, with a lot of complexity. The answers aren\u2019t always simple, but actively rejoicing in hope is what lifts us up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future Peace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I love Isaiah 60:22, especially the way the NLT phrases it. \u201cWhen the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a way, that\u2019s the answer to everything. To every prayer that\u2019s left unanswered \u2014 assuming we\u2019re praying good prayers and not for anything crazy or ungodly! When the time is right, he\u2019ll do it \u2014 it will happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 60 is looking forward to when heaven comes down to earth, and the two are unified. When everything bad is expelled from creation, including every form of suffering. All of your prayers are tied up here, and will be fulfilled here. It\u2019s inevitable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does God allow suffering? The ultimate answer is \u201che won\u2019t\u201d. Nothing can escape the date we\u2019re counting down to. And all your prayers are stacked up here \u2014 piled high with a multitude of those from suffering saints through history, all awaiting fulfilment at this moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a Moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, those are just a few thoughts on the nature of prayer, and why they seem to go unanswered at times. I hope it\u2019s useful. It\u2019s so important to reconcile this stuff and try and see something of the big picture. There is a very real mystery behind it all \u2014 the way God works, and when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we don\u2019t quite see some of its scale, we can so easily get frustrated with God, or even feel condemned \u2014 that perhaps our level of faith isn\u2019t enough, that we\u2019re not enough, or that our Father in heaven is displeased with us in some way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re watching in a group, why not pause for a moment and consider the nature of prayer. Has anything from this section resonated? Has prayer been a source of pain, disappointment, or even despair for you? Is it fuelling discontentment, and a distrust of God within you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Somehow we need to disconnect that line between our circumstances, and whether or not we think that God loves us, and is pleased with us. We need to rid ourselves of any sense of karma operating in our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve actually decided to split this video in two. It\u2019s just ended up being longer than I hoped. Error! And I know it might seem usual to talk about unanswered prayer in a video about contentment, but I do think it can be such a huge blockage to finding our rest in God, and experiencing peace, that we just have to chat about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in hard times, that\u2019s when you need it most. That’s when you need to find your biggest rest in God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you\u2019ll join us in the next video where we talk about two things I believe the Apostle Paul models for us, as he claims to have found the secret of contentment in every situtation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See you then. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBack to Treasures of Darkness<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here you can find the video script written for our fifth session as a reference. Peace is priceless.  A while back I really felt God impress on me the importance of learning the art of contentment, even in the middle of what I would describe as a pretty horrific sleep disorder. That if I could … Continue reading “The Pursuit of Contentment: At Rest In Unanswered Prayer”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2907","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2907"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2921,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2907\/revisions\/2921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}