Psalm 131
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
At only three verses this is the shortest of the Psalms, but it sure packs a wallop ( as we’d say here in Texas.) It describes a person who has such deep faith and hope in the Lord that he is content in all circumstances. He compares himself to a weaned child ( a two-three year old back then) who doesn’t scream to be fed and has to be constantly attended to, but is content to walk, run and play in the shadow of their parent, fully confident that their parent is right there to protect and guide them, to provide for them and love them.
Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, said their faith was still so immature, they were still needing milk like babes (3:2). In contrast, he wrote to the Philippians church that he’d learned to be content in all circumstances. The Psalmist here is saying the same thing. He doesn’t have lofty, pie in the sky, I can do it myself dreams. He trusts in God for everything – his daily bread, his strength, his abilities to handle whatever comes along, his protection. He has calmed his soul.
Does that mean we should not have goals? Of course not. It does mean that if God made us a zebra, we should not dream of being a butterfly then blame Him or ourselves if we can’t flittter about in the breeze. We should strive to be content to be what we are designed to be knowing He has given each of us a unique purpose. It may be a mother and mentor to our kid’s friends who do not have a strong faith background. It may be to teach, to write, to paint, to sing. It may be to touch the hearts of millions, or just a few. But we trust that God knows best.
Heavenly Lord, calm my soul and still my heart today, resting in the knowledge that You are with me to protect, guide and provide for me. Let me be mature enough to walk along side of you down this path called life, using the talents You have given me and waiting for Your timing to provide exactly what I need to do Your Will. Re-instill in me a child-like faith of hope and trust in You, being content no matter what comes my way. Let me be able to digest Your Word and fully take it in, chew on it and have it nourish my life. Through Your Son, My Saviour, I pray. Amen.
