Pete and I have been privileged to be adopted as Grandma and Papa Pete by a couple born outside of Australia.
They blessed us with a handsome grandson a few days ago. Although we’ve laughed at the little man’s inbuilt radar, even when we think he’s soundly asleep, to know exactly when his mother has left his side, this serenity when his mother is next to him is written about in this very brief psalm.
“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. 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. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.” (Psa. 131 NLT)
What a beautiful picture David has given us of us giving up all pride, arrogance and selfish ambition for promotion or position and resting as a child with utter trust in our God! He found satisfaction and serenity of soul, when he was content with God and His works.
There is something different about God in this psalm. Practically all throughout the Bible God is spoken about as being a Father. We know God doesn’t have a gender, just like the angels are neither male nor female, but in this psalm God is shown to have mother-like qualities.
Here we have the idea of us coming to God like a little child as if resting in our mother’s arms, trusting, helpless and yielding.
Giving up on ourselves and giving ourselves over to God is where we can find the peace that passes all understanding. Paul elaborates on how this is done: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Phil. 4:6-7 The Message)
If ONLY we could always rest under this overarching protection of our God and give up our independence, worries and fears!