May 18, 2023
“Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.”
Psalm 131:1-3
I cannot think of a better way to begin the day than with this Psalm. So much of our unrest comes from worrying and fretting about things we cannot change. How much better off would we be if we turned our gaze to the Lord and to that which he has placed within our reach.
So often we pray for peace in our hearts, but as this psalm says, we have a part to play in that inner peace by quieting our souls in God’s presence. Notice it doesn’t say that God will quiet our souls; that’s our job. But we do it by being in God’s presence like a small child with its mother. Even in our prayers we often rattle off a list of complaints and requests, focusing on all that’s wrong instead of the rightness and goodness of being in the presence of a God who loves us unconditionally. It takes time, not just to read the Bible, but to rest in it, allowing it to seep into our souls.
This psalm became a favorite of mine years ago when i first heard the musical version of it written and sung by John Michael Talbot, entitled, “Come to the Quiet.” If you’re feeling restless, anxious, fearful, or furious, allow the words and melody of this song to flood your spirit with peace as you sit like a child on our Father’s knee. Here is a link to Talbot’s song:
No comments:
Post a Comment