Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+131
Psalm 131 (ESV)
I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
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.
REFLECTION:
- David pictured faith as a young child nestling against its mother and contrasted this attitude with an arrogance which challenged God’s word.
- Pride is essentially a belief that one does not need God but is self-sufficient. He looks down on other people and overestimates his own abilities as well as his own importance. The humble person, however, has a realistic understanding of his or her capabilities and limitations.
- The ability to rest and be quiet, rather than struggling for what we want, is a sign of maturity as well as humility.
- David called on the nation to follow his example and rest in confidence that the Lord would provide what His people needed. This dependent trust is a need God’s people never outgrow.
- This psalm reminds us what it means to have faith as a child. We can trust God because He is who He is. We must trust Him because we are who we are.
PRAYER:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.
HYMN:
Lord, My Heart is not Haughty – www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixuoMaBSec0
