I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131: 1-2 (NLT)
Psalm 131 is one of several songs for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. It begins with a reminder that man was not created to perceive and understand all of God’s plan. There are some events and circumstances that simply don’t make sense to us and never will. We wrap up some days with more questions than answers; because God’s ways are higher than ours, His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts, and His purpose far beyond anything we could imagine.
So, instead of stewing over the why, where, when, what, or how of life, the psalmist surrenders those questions in favor of quiet trust. He basks in God’s love, confident His heavenly Father will cradle him like an infant in its mother’s arms. Such contentment and peace is the upshot of knowing, firsthand, that God is trustworthy and faithful.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s hard to trust, especially in the midst of a chaotic world. It’s contrary to human nature: the first time Mom or Dad fail to honor their promise, be it intentional or unintentional, it chips away at our trust; the first time a friend lets you down or doesn’t show up, trust erodes just a little bit more.
Yet God is fully trustworthy. He won’t ever let us down. His promises are one hundred percent dependable. He invites us to cast those worries and anxious thoughts on Him. In exchange, He will impart His peace, the kind of peace that asserts, “I have stilled and quieted my soul” – my heavenly Abba is taking care of this.
Thought: “Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to ‘wait trustfully and quietly on Him’ who has all things safely in His hands.” – Elisabeth Elliot
For further reading:
- Isaiah 55:8-9
- Psalm 46:10
- Isaiah 30:15
- Zephaniah 3:17